Victim Commissioner's Survey

Matthew Scott supports the Victims' Commissioner's Survey on court delays.

 

Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner is delighted that the Victims' Commissioner has embarked on a consultation exercise to try to understand the impact court delays are having on victims.

Kent has the second highest caseload backlog in the country, with only Greater Manchester having more severe problems. Between February 2020 and June 2024, the number of caseloads in Kent's criminal courts increased by 164%.  The national increase is 61%.

Matthew Scott says,

"We need to do everything we can to keep people in the process because I'm worried that more people are going to walk away."

So he is pleased to support the Victims' Commissioner's new survey, to understand the issues and lobby for improvements.

The Victims' Commissioner, Baroness Newlove, has promised to use the research to develop multiple recommendations for change, including recommendations to address the delays, mitigate the impacts of these on victims, and improve how victims are treated, supported and communicated with whilst they wait for trial.

If you have been a victim of crime and are suffering because of court delays, please fill in this survey.  It is open until the 12th of September.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/experiences-of-court/. 

• Some examples of what its explores include:
  • How long are victims waiting for their court trial date?
  • How many court trial date changes are victims experiencing?

Thank you.