Cops empower victims of crimes
Brighton Beach SAPS took to the community to hand out brochures during Victim Empowerment Week.
CRIME has a devastating effect on the victims of crime who have suffered emotionally, physically and financially, and victims need help to deal with the trauma, to be able to participate effectively in the criminal justice process, and to resume their lives as healthy members of society.
During National Victim Empowerment Week, from 14 to 20 September, SAPS Brighton Beach embarked on a campaign with the aim of informing victims of crimes what their rights are, and the responsibilities of the police towards victims of crime.
A project created by Brighton Beach’s media office Captain Louise Le Roux entailed the creating of a brochure with information to empower victims of crime such as what victims support and empowerment entails, the aim of victim assistance, service delivery for victims of crime, the roles and responsibilities of SAPS regarding victims of crime, victims obligations and contact details of supporting government organisations.
Teenage boys and girls and the public were the target groups. Empowering their community entailed giving 2 000 brochures to learners attending senior level at schools within the Brighton Beach Policing area. Senior citizens and the public were reached through foot patrols being conducted at local shopping malls, engaging with individuals and handing out 1 000 brochures.
“The aim of victim empowerment is creating a greater role for victims in the criminal justice system (judicial process) and enabling victims to resist repeat victimisation. It also refers to the manner in which victims are empowered by having their needs that arose from an incident of victimisation, met satisfactorily. It also involves the process of helping a victim to become a survivor and come to terms with events with as little lasting effects as possible,” said Capt Le Roux.
She said it included trauma counselling, medical services and legal services in addition to giving the victim emotional, practical support and providing him or her with information regarding the functioning of the criminal justice system and it is also geared towards enabling victims to understand the social systems that function within their immediate environment and provides them with tools to manage factors that can lead to repeat victimisation.
