The Department of Justice is seeking views on proposals to
improve the experience of victims and witnesses in Northern
Ireland.
The vision of the draft Victims and Witnesses of Crime Strategy
2025-2030 is to increase confidence in the justice system by
empowering and supporting all victims and witnesses with a trauma
informed approach.
The Strategy's mission statement is that this will be achieved by
“providing victims and witnesses, including children, young
people and vulnerable users, with tailored support and effective
communication, in a transparent, rights compliant way”.
Launching a public consultation on the draft strategy, Justice
Minister said: “Figures from the
PSNI show there were over 69,000 victims of recorded crime in
Northern Ireland in 2023–24 which demonstrates why this draft
strategy is so important.
“As the strategy states, anyone can become a victim of,
or witness to crime, regardless of sex, ethnicity, gender, age,
sexual orientation, or socio-economic background.
“Engaging with the criminal justice system can often be
daunting, disorientating and, at times, traumatic for victims and
witnesses.
“This draft strategy aims to ensure victims and witnesses
are aware of their rights and are fully informed throughout their
journey and that services are tailored and responsive.
“It also seeks to make provisions to meet the needs of
all victims and witnesses, including those in minority or
marginalised groups and with particular reference to children and
young people.”
The draft strategy contains five pillars – Support; Communication
and Information; Transparency and Participation; Rights and
Confidence in Justice; Children and Young People.
It builds upon the groundwork laid by the previous Victims and
Witnesses Strategy and has been informed by the responses to a
recent Call for Views exercise.
“I would like to thank everyone who has engaged with the
Department and me personally, particularly victims and witnesses
of crime,” continued the Minister.
“Sharing such personal accounts can be a difficult and
painful experience, so I hope those who have been brave enough to
do so can see that they have contributed to this draft
strategy.
“We have sought to embed a victim-focused and
trauma-informed approach as a key theme running through the draft
strategy.
“It is vital that the harm inflicted by the impact of
crime is not exacerbated by the criminal justice
system.”
The Department of Justice would like to hear from members of the
public, community and voluntary organisations and anyone with an
interest in and knowledge of the victim and witness experience.
In addition, the Department is planning to engage with partners,
stakeholders, and members of the public, through an extensive
engagement programme prior to finalising the strategy.
The final strategy will be published later this year.
The closing date for submitting views is 27 July 2025 and more
information, including how to respond, is available on the
consultation section on the
Department of Justice website.
