Following the recent Government consultation on “Revising the Victims’ Code”, the Ministry of Justice has updated Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.

The code forms a key part of the wider Government strategy to transform the criminal justice system by putting victims first, making the system more responsive and easier to navigate.  Three main changes have been introduced under the revised Code:

• The definition of victim has been broadened, so that victims of all criminal offences are entitled to receive support and information under the Code. Previously it was limited to victims of crime recorded under the National Crime Recording Standard.
• The Code has been extended to apply to agencies outside of the core criminal justice system, who provide services to victims of crime.
• The revised Code includes an entitlement for victims who report a crime to receive a written acknowledgement, which states the basic elements of the crime.

The revised Code came into force on 16 November 2015 and is available to read in full Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code) – 2015