Supporting Victims
April 2025 saw a change in the services delivering vital support for victims of crime in Lancashire.
Victim Care Lancashire
On April 1st, Victim Care Lancashire was launched to offer support for victims of crime across the county.
The team of specially trained Victim Care Advisers, based within Lancashire Constabulary, provide free, confidential and non-judgemental support and practical help. This includes emotional support, listening to victims’ concerns, and signposting towards additional support that may be available depending on what they may need.
Since launching in April, VCL has received over 25,326 referrals and directly supported more than 1,363 individuals. I visited the service in October 2025 to meet some of the staff working with victims of crime and helping them move forward.
Victims of crime can contact Victim Care Lancashire via their website at victimcarelancashire. org, by calling 01772 410410, or by emailing support@ victimcarelancashire.org.
Stalking Support
For the first time, dedicated support for victims of stalking has been made available across Lancashire. I commissioned Paladin, the national stalking advocacy service to deliver this locally and specialist support commenced in April 2025.
Stalking is a high-impact crime that can affect every aspect of victims’ lives and it’s crucial that they can access dedicated support to help them cope and move forward.
Over the past year Paladin worked with 70 victims at high risk of harm while their cases were being investigated or going through the criminal justice process.
Paladin also delivered bespoke training to 46 police officers and several partner agencies including the NHS and other victim support services. This will no doubt improve the support victims receive when they report stalking to the police or other agencies.
Specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence services
I continued to fund specialist support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. In 2025/26 this was provided by Victim Support who delivered emotional support and practical help across Lancashire. I also co- funded domestic abuse support offered by Fylde Coast Women’s Aid and The Wish Centre to ensure local support across Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.
Over the past year, in addition to the 23,590 supported through our contracted services, additional capacity was built through grant funding other specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence services. These worked with 20,150 victims of abuse to offer advice and safety planning, support with reporting and guidance through the criminal justice system where cases went to court.
Nasira
Nasira was verbally and physically abused by her husband. She was also emotionally abused by her mother-in-law who lived in the family home. Victim Support helped Nasira with safety planning, access to safe accommodation, listened to her concerns and provided reassurance and emotional support. Nasira is now safe, living away from her abusers.
Feedback from Nasira:
“Thank you so much. You helped me through the toughestdays of my life.”