Victim or witness?

If you become a victim or witness to a crime or anti-social behaviour incident and have to attend court, both the Norfolk Constabulary and Norfolk Crown Prosecution Service are committed to delivering an excellent service to you, using trained local staff that understand your needs.

Some of the services Victim and Witness Support provide include:

an update of your case as soon as a person has been charged
an agreement with you regarding the level of support and information you need, including your preferred means of contact - the service is tailored to each individual
a full explanation and guidance about each stage of the justice process
arranging visits to the court room before a trial takes place
a dedicated member of staff to provide guidance and support on domestic violence issues
specialist attention for sensitive cases.

If you are a victim or a witness in the Criminal Justice System we will:

make sure you have access to support available from both local and national sources about your own case
provide you with practical and emotional help and refer you to the appropriate services
offer a high quality of service from our staff
listen to your views by taking a Victim Personal Statement (VPS)
stop intimidation and meet the needs of vulnerable witnesses
improve the experience of victims and witnesses going to court
meet the needs of domestic violence victims and stop repeat victimisation.

We need your opinion and feedback to improve the service we deliver to our victims and witnesses. Please tell us of your positive or negative experience in having been a victim or a witness attending court in the county on [email protected]

Whilst we will not reply to any submissions using this e-mail, we will review and act upon them internally to improve our service.

Norfolk And Suffolk Victim Care

The Norfolk Central Victim and Witness Support Team is a multi-agency team who provide support and advice to victims and witnesses on court cases.

They will keep you informed on the progress of your case and support you through the court process if you are required to give evidence at court.

A person in the Victim and Witness Support Team will remain your single point of contact and will provide a consistent and accessible service for dealing with individual needs support and advice.

Please contact us during office hours on [email protected] or contact your assigned witness care officer.

For out of hours contact, please leave a message on the answering service or email us at [email protected]. If you need to contact the Police in an emergency then please dial 999

Witness Care Officers / Trial Enquiries
Office Hours: 8am - 5pm, Mon-Fri
Magistrates team:
01603 276987, 01603 276858, 01603 276358 , 01603 276854, 01603 276292, 01603 276885
Supervisor - 01603 276217

Crown team:
01603 276223, 01603 276352, 01603 276236, 01603 276912, 01603 276287, 01603 276353,
Supervisor - 01603 276216

Victim and Witness General Enquiries / Results
Witness Care Assistant Office Hours (8am to 5pm)
01603 276882 / 01603 276255 01603 276230, 01603 276898, 01603 276210
Team Leader - Simone IVORY 01603 276889

Victim’s Code of Practice

The Code of Practice makes sure crime victims receive the right support. It places statutory obligations on Norfolk Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Probation Services, the Courts and Youth Offending Teams.

The Code clearly sets out what victims of all criminal offences can expect from those dealing with the crime from the first point of contact (which is usually reporting a crime) through to charge and/or outcome, including a court case.

Further details about the Code can be obtained via the Gov.uk website.

Under the Code, support for victims of crime includes:

A written acknowledgment of the criminal offence they are reporting - setting out the basic details of the offence, followed by being kept informed about the police investigation into the crime, including if a suspect is arrested and charged, and any bail conditions given
Being informed of what to expect if you need to give evidence in court and discuss what help and support you might need with the Victim & Witness Services
The ability to apply for special measures in court to help you give your best evidence if you are under 18 or an adult victim who is vulnerable or intimidated
Being able to join the Victim Contact Scheme - this means you'll be told when an offender will be released if they have been sentenced to a year or more in prison for a violent or sexual offence against you
Having the ability to apply for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
Receiving information about Restorative Justice which brings together the offender and the victim - giving the victim a chance to tell the offender what the real impact of their crime has been
Being able to complain if you do not receive what you should under the Code. You have the right for your complaint to be handled properly and quickly. This can be done via our compliments & complaints page.

Some victims are entitled to an Enhanced Service. Victims of the most serious crimes or those who are vulnerable, intimidated or persistently targeted will receive an update on the progress of their case within one working day of making their initial crime report. They will also be updated of any significant developments in their case as outlined above.

More information about reporting crimes and getting compensation can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Most crimes are dealt with by the core criminal justice services but there are other organisations with powers to investigate and prosecute crimes. Victims of crimes which these agencies deal with are also eligible to receive services under the Code.

To provide feedback on how we have delivered our service, please contact 101 or email [email protected].

Post-trial support for Victims

Victim Contact Officers work with victims of sexual assault and violent offenders sent to prison for 12 months or more to:

keep victims informed about the offender's sentence
provide the opportunity for victims to give their views on proposed conditions surrounding the offender's release
inform offenders of any conditions of release which relate to contact with the victim.

Involvement with the service is on a voluntary basis and victims should hear from our victim contact officers within eight weeks of the offender being sentenced at court.

Witness Charter

Norfolk has introduced the Witness Charter, a new set of standards for services provided to witnesses of crime across the county.

It has been developed to inform witnesses of how they can expect to be treated by the police, other criminal justice agencies and lawyers if asked to give evidence for the prosecution or defence in a criminal court.

The Witness Charter also sets out what help and support witnesses can expect to receive at every stage of the process.