4 December 2013 PCC agrees support for Suffolk Rape Crisis Suffolk Rape Crisis will benefit today from financial support from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, Tim Passmore to deliver much-needed counselling sessions to victims of sexual crime – see PCC Decision – 47 – 2013 (PDF, 3.12KB) “Victims of sexual crime need very specialist and sensitive support,” said Tim Passmore. “The work being carried out in the county is exemplary but resources are woefully inadequate so I am very pleased to support this valuable work.” Improving confidence to encourage more women to report serious sexual crimes is key to Tim Passmore’s role as Police and Crime Commissioner in the county. This counselling, provided by Suffolk Rape Crisis, is fundamental in this confidence building. To support this valuable work, the Commissioner has allocated a Crime and Disorder Reduction Grant of £10,000 to Suffolk Rape Crisis. Suffolk Rape Crisis provides a crucial service to women and girls who have suffered sexual violence, offering counselling and practical support. They help women and girls overcome the trauma of rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse, and empower them to take back their lives. “Limited availability of counselling services means that many victims wait for several months to receive counselling and this often exacerbates their symptoms, which include anxiety, depression and substance misuse.” said Tim, “This additional funding will provide 200 counselling sessions and hopefully alleviate some of the distress that this abhorrent crime causes.”