CJS working together for the public

This depends on the types of the crime and the effect it has had on you, unfortunately the police cannot visit all the victims of crime, they do not have the people to do this. They will make a judgement from the information you provide as to what investigation will be carried out. A police investigation will involve the police speaking to you about the offence; it may be where the crime has occurred, at your home or work, or at hospital. Normally you will see a uniformed officer, but if the crime is serious or sensitive then you may also speak to a non-uniformed officer, and if it is a sexual crime, you should be able to ask to speak to an officer of a specific sex, the police will try to comply with your request, but this may not always be possible.

The police will give you a leaflet called Victims of Crime which explains what happens after you report a crime to the police. This leaflet is available in a range of languages. Please ask the police for further details.

You will be given a crime reference number. You must keep this number, and any other reference numbers given to you, in case you want to make insurance or Criminal Injuries Compensation claim, or any other information you may need about your case from the criminal justice agencies.

A police investigation can take several months and the investigation will carry on as long as the police think they can achieve something. They will check developments and try to tie in information with any other similar cases or ongoing criminal activity. If the police find a person, they will put together the evidence against him or her. If the police think they have enough evidence they will charge him or her. They will let you know when this happens.

If you are a victim of crime, the police will give you the name and phone number of the officer or "crime desk" responsible for your case. They will also do their best to catch the person responsible for your crime and to keep you informed of significant developments in your case.

You should keep the crime reference number in case you want to make an insurance or Criminal Injuries Compensation claim. It will also assist the police in answering any questions about your case if you have the crime reference number when ever you contact them. You will be given other reference numbers if your case goes to court, and you should keep these numbers safe as well.

If you have been the victim of a serious sexual assault, the police will ask you not to change your clothes or wash before they attend to speak to you. They understand that this may be unpleasant for you, but the reason is that they will ask you to have a medical examination so that evidence can be collected from your clothes and from the examination to identify who was responsible for the attack on you. You do not have to consent to a medical examination, but it can provide vital evidence which the police may not be able to get from any where else.

The police and the medical examiner understand this may well be distressing for you and will be sympathetic and do what they can to make you feel as comfortable as possible. The examination will take place either at a hospital or at a location used only for interviewing and examining witnesses and victims of crime. The police will endeavour to provide a medical examiner of the sex you would prefer, but this may not always be possible. You should be able to have a friend or relative with you during the examination to provide you with support, but sometimes the need to collect uncontaminated evidence will decide who can be with you.

If a police officer thinks you would qualify for special measures he or she will discuss this with you, and then with the Crown Prosecution Service if the case is going to go to court. The CPS will go through the reasons for special measures given to them by the police and take into account your views, and if these fit the criteria, they will apply to the court for the special measures to be put into place.

Two examples of special measures are:

• a screen in the courtroom that prevents you from seeing the defendant; and
• a live TV link so that you do not have to give evidence in the courtroom.

The special measures are being introduced gradually. From July 2002, most of them have been available in the Crown Court. At present, the measures in the magistrates' court are limited to TV links and video recorded evidence for child witnesses in cases involving sexual offences, violence (including threats) and cruelty. For more information on who is or may be a vulnerable or intimidated victim please see the 'Speaking up for Justice report'.

This depends on whether or not the defendant pleads guilty to the facts of the offence. In most cases he or she pleads guilty and the witnesses do not have to go to court. However, in those cases where he or she pleads not guilty there will have to be a trial and you may have to attend court to give evidence. In certain circumstances it may be possible to give evidence through video link. The police will let you know if you qualify for special measures such as this. There are times when the defendant has pleaded not guilty before the court hearing, but changes his or her plea on the day of the hearing. In these cases, you will be told as soon as the prosecution are satisfied the defendant has pleaded guilty to all the facts and there will be no requirement for the court to hear your evidence. This can be very annoying, but it is the right of the defendant to change his or her plea all the way through the process.

This is when the court, using information it has received (normally from the police) about an offence, issues a written order requiring the person accused of the offence to go to court so that the matter can be dealt with.