NCJ Number
162733
Journal
Home Office Research and Statistics Directorate Research Bulletin Issue: 38 Dated: (1996) Pages: 27-35
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
According to the 1994 British Crime Survey (BCS), victim satisfaction with services they received from the police when they reported crime returned to levels of the early 1980's.
Abstract
Victims who reported crime were asked to rate how well the police responded in several ways: whether the response was adequate, whether police officers were interested in what victims had to say; whether sufficient effort was put into police investigations; and whether victims were given information about the progress of investigations. A consistent finding was that victims did not feel they were kept informed of what happened after they reported a crime. Victims wanted to hear that offenders had been caught and what action was being taken against them. The number of victims satisfied with the way police officers handled reported crime increased over time. More positive views were evident among older respondents and among those in households where the head was in a nonmanual occupation. White victims were consistently more satisfied than nonwhites. Awareness of victim support among crime victims increased substantially between 1984 and 1994, and there was a continuous upward trend in the number of victims recalling contact with victim support services. Of those who said they were contacted by victim support services in 1993, 30 percent found these services "fairly" helpful. Satisfaction was highest for those visited at home, and those who received telephone calls were more appreciative than those who received letters. The authors conclude that, despite increased attention paid to victims in recent years, a substantial increase in victim satisfaction with services is not demonstrated by BCS findings. 3 references, 2 tables, and 3 figures