17th December 2021

Commissioner awards £13m contract to support victims of crime in Lancashire

Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden has awarded a five-year contract worth £13m to fund specialist support for crime victims through Lancashire Victim Services.

The contract value includes an additional £2.5m investment from the Commissioner’s budget on top of the Governments grant which funds victim services. This extra investment will ensure expert, face to face support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

The service will continue to be delivered by Victim Support who won the contract following a formal tender process. Lancashire Victim Services provide support for all crime types with specialist support services available anyone affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence as well as support for young people and victims of hate crime.

The Commissioner said: “I am delighted to award this contract to ensure that anyone who falls victim to crime here in Lancashire can access the best possible support.

“While my number one priority is to fight crime to ensure that less people fall victim in the first place, I am very clear that where people are affected, they need and deserve services that can help them move forward.

“This is particularly important for high impact crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual violence and I will invest an additional £2.5m from my budget on top of the grant I receive from the Government to ensure that specialist teams can provide face to face, expert emotional support and practical help.

“With my team, I will also continue to draw in any additional funding available to us. Since taking office we have already secured over £2m of extra funding which went straight to specialist local services to provide support, work with perpetrators, and provide education around domestic abuse in Lancashire schools.

“Tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence is a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan and these investments, together with the creation of specialist teams within the Constabulary and improved collaboration with the Crown Prosecution Service, will make a real difference to victims with the aim of securing better outcomes for them and more convictions for perpetrators.”

Claire Powell, Area Manager for Lancashire Victim Services added: “We are really pleased to have been awarded this contract and to be trusted with the delivery of the service for another five years.

“Our team is so passionate about offering the right support at the right time and the longevity of this contract, together with the additional investment in our specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence teams will allow us to do just that.

“Our message to anyone affected by crime here in Lancashire is simple: Please contact us. We will work with you at your pace, and we will help you find the best way forward for your circumstances.

“You can contact us through the live chat option on our website, over the phone or by sending us an email, we are here to support you whenever you are ready.”

The new contract will come into effect from 1 April 2022 and will run until 31 March 2027. There will be no interruption to services and current support continues to be available as normal.

Lancashire Victim Services can be contacted 24/7 via the live chat at lancashirevictimservices.org or by calling 0300 323 0085. Alternatively, the service can be contacted by email to info@lancashirevictimservices.org or by completing the contact from on the website.

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