Violent Crime
A violent crime is when another person physically harms you or threatens to harm you. It can comprise of a variety of offences – including common assault to murder; it also encompasses the use of weapons such as firearms, knives and corrosive substances like acid.
Being a victim or a witness to a crime can often be difficult and you may not know very much about the criminal justice system, we can support you through each stage.
Violent crimes can include:
- assault
- gun and knife crime
- sexual violence (such as rape or sexual assault)
- alcohol and drug-related violence
- gang violence
- domestic violence
- hate crimes (disability, faith, gender, gender identity, race or sexual orientation)
- robbery
- murder or manslaughter
How a violent crime can affect you
It can be extremely frightening to experience a violent crime. As well as possibly being hurt or injured physically, you can be very seriously affected emotionally. Many people find it hard to deal with the feeling of being powerless when they are threatened. Other common feelings include:
- finding it hard to believe what has happened, and feeling numb
- feeling deeply upset
- feeling that your life is completely out of control
- physical symptoms such as ‘the shakes’, sleeplessness or crying all the time
- extreme anger towards your attacker
- self-blame for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
All of these reactions, and more, are completely normal responses to experiencing violence.
Contacting Us
If you report a crime to Staffordshire Police, they will ask you if you are happy for your details to be passed on to the Staffordshire Victim Gateway and Restorative Justice Service. We will automatically receive your contact information and a brief overview of your experience and the crime, if you don’t specify to Staffordshire Police that you don’t want us to make contact with you. If you initially opted out of the service, you can self-refer at any time.
We can provide you with advice, information & emotional and practical support. We can liaise and advocate on your behalf, and introduce and support you to specialist services, who can help you gain the relevant support that can help in your recovery. We will be with you every step of the way. Our support is free and confidential, regardless of whether you have reported a crime or incident to the police, we are here to support you.
Crime Prevention Information
Additionally, it may also be useful for you to have advice on crime prevention that may help you to protect yourself in the future. You can find lots of useful information on local crime prevention by clicking here:
https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/