Make some time for victims of crime

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Crime has been going down since the mid 1970s really. But what we are seeing is a shift in the kind of crime that is happening. Burglaries are falling and car related crime generally are falling. But what we are seeing is an increase in crimes against people. So that's violent crimes, hate crimes and attacks generally and as a charity, over the last ten years for example we've seen a ten times increase in the number of people that we are having to support after racist crimes and it is actually requires more intensive support from many of these people. So that means our workload is going up.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: I'm glad you have raised the issue of the media. There definitely is a trend to hype up crime and we see that in the British Crime survey which tells us that people are more afraid of crime than statistically speaking, they should be, but despite all the different statistics which do sometimes seem to contradict each other most experts are agreed that violent crime has been going up recently.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Hate crime is any crime when somebody is singled out to have a crime committed against them, simply because of who or what they are. This might be race and often is, but it could also be sexuality, religion or a whole range of things. With most other crimes the victim is invariably chosen by the offender more or less at random. But in a case of a hate crime somebody has been specifically singled out.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Victim Support is an unusual charity in that it does get a large grant from the government every year but it's nowhere near enough to pay for all the work that needs to be done. Our total income at the moment is about £41million a year of which about £30million come from the government, but we know that to help everybody that needs our support we'd need over £60million a year. More importantly if the government did fund the whole of Victim Support, it would change the way people see us and people who are frightened of getting involved with the police and other agencies might be reluctant to ask for our help. Our independence is really important in giving victims the confidence to come to us.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Sunrise Appeal is the first ever national fundraising appeal for Victim Support. Up until now our fund raising has not been coordinated in this way. To find out more go to our new appeal website at www.makesometime.org.uk

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Victim Support is not one charity it's actually nearly a hundred. Each one covering a County or a similar area. Any money that's given to a local Victim Support Charity as part of the appeal will definitely be spent on local services for victims and witnesses.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: The beauty of the Sunrise Appeal is that you can do whatever you want, as long as it's safe and legal of course. You can do something that you enjoy either on your own or with a group of colleagues as long as it brings in donations.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: It doesn't matter if you haven't got an hour to spare. You can donate to the appeal either by phone or text. But everyone should be able to find at least 60 minutes in one day to help and I'm sure that Heather has some tips...

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

... Heather: As you spend so much of your time on the train, do you use this productively or are you just "knackered"? There is an opportunity to use this time for you to unwind on your way back from work - read a book or study or even take up meditation on the train. Finding time for you is important; as you are less resentful of any time you might have to give to others. Is there anything that you could do on your journey that you could get sponsored for?

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Heather: One way to find time in a very busy day is to use a process called Time Chunking, where you split your day in one hour, half hour, 15 minute slots. This tends to focus your mind in the task at hand and you can often get through a lot more. You mention that you want to give something back to the community perhaps there are some similarly minded friends or colleagues with whom you could get together and come up with an inventive idea. Is it possible to organise a breakfast or babysitting or another way of getting together that would benefit you and your children as well as Victim Support.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: You don't need to be a counsellor - we don't "do" counselling, but every volunteer gets training to do the job. Find out more on our main website at www.victimsupport.org.uk

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Yes BELINDA we are. There are many things that can be improved about the criminal injuries compensation scheme but the scheme is limited on what they can do by legislation. We also need to remember that comparing the amount paid out with civil cases isn't comparing like with like.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Anyone who has been a victim of crime can and should contact Victim Support, we can offer both practical help and emotional support. The easiest way to contact us is via the Victim Supportline on 0845 30 30 900 and remember our help is free and confidential.

Paul Fawcett and Heather Waring said:

Paul: Thank you and please help us make the Sunrise Appeal a big success. 250,000 more people need your help. Heather: Enjoy your hour and make it a habit for you.