Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to work with faith groups to support victims of violent crime.

All forms of violent crime, including religiously aggravated violent crime, are completely unacceptable, which is why the Government is committed to making sure that victims of these crimes are properly supported, and this Department continues to engage with faith groups.

Under the Victims’ Code (the Code), all victims are entitled to be referred to support services when they report a crime. However, the Code also explicitly acknowledges that victims of hate crime are more likely to require specialised assistance, and this means they are entitled to enhanced support under the Code.

The Ministry of Justice also provides funding for victim and witness support services, to help victims cope and recover from the impact of crime, through a mix of local and nationally commissioned services. At a national level, the Department provides Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) with annual grant funding to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types.

More broadly, the Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat racially and religiously motivated hatred. The Government is working with the police to fund True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report.