Responsibility for commissioning locally most of the emotional and practical support services for victims of crime that are provided by the voluntary and community sector transfers to Police and Crime Commissioners on the 1 April 2015. These services help victims to cope with and recover from the impacts of crime. Part of this responsibility is to victims of business crime and in response to this, the PCC invited proposals to deliver a 6 month pilot project to provide real support for businesses affected by crime. The support service is designed to directly meet and understand the needs identified by businesses themselves, and provide an immediate appropriate response. This initiative is supported by the Ministry of Justice Code of Practice that clarifies what victims of business crime can expect when they report a crime.
A transparent and open selection process took place during March
and the succcessful organisation chosen to deliver the pilot project based on the proposal submitted is Westside Bid, Birmingham. The pilot project is expected to be rolled out across the West Midlands force area, however will be dependend on evaluation and review.
