AGENCIES from across Dorset have come together to discuss putting victims and witnesses first and tackling reoffending, as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Martyn Underhill says the police and other agencies must take a “holistic approach” to these areas of policing.

Support for victims and witnesses and reducing reoffending, the third pillar of Mr Underhill’s Police and Crime Plan, were discussed at the PCC’s latest ‘ask the experts’ event.

Panellists at the event included Pauline Rousseau from Circles Southwest, Victim’s Bureau manager, Karen Brader, and Victim Support manager, Kerry McGeachy. 

The Police and Crime Plan – which is supported by 91 per cent of those surveyed by the PCC’s office – aims with its third pillar to provide more support for victims and witnesses, to increase their confidence and help them deal with what they have witnessed or suffered in the long term.

The scheme also intends to break the cycle of reoffending through “robust and evidence-based rehabilitation.”

Mr Underhill said: “Nobody deserves to be a victim of crime. Going through that experience can change a person’s life, and the support they receive from agencies such as the police can have a fundamental impact on the lasting effects of the trauma.

“It will never be an easy recovery, but agencies must work together to empower victims, identify vulnerability and protect those at risk from further harm and distress.”

Mr Underhill added that he was committed to making the process for witnesses giving testimony “as easy as possible,” due to the “valuable intelligence and testimonies provided by witnesses in Dorset every day”.

He said: “As part of the plan, I’ll be working with other criminal justice partners to improve court video streaming facilities, so that witnesses are able to testify in a convenient location close to their homes.”

The issue of restorative justice was also raised at the ‘ask the experts’ event, which focuses on the needs of victims, the future for reoffenders and the impact of crime on the involved communities.

Mr Underhill said that restorative justice, along with voluntary tagging, is part of the police force’s “more sustainable approach to dealing with repeat offenders.”

A spokesperson for the PCC said that the voluntary tagging scheme has “had multiple successes since it was launched and funded by the PCC.”

They said the tag not only helps in court when bail conditions have been breached, the tag itself acts as a deterrent, as participants in the initiative have said that the tag reminds them of their previous behaviour and prevents others from persuading them back into crime.

Mr Underhill said: “If we want to keep our communities safe, the police and other agencies must take a holistic approach where victims and witnesses have confidence in reporting and are supported through the process, offenders are held to account for their crimes within the affected area and opportunities for rehabilitation are accessible.”