Increase in calls to crime victims helpline over past year

A HELPLINE for crime victims has seen a 20 per cent increase in calls over the past year.

The National Crime Victims Helpline received 2,892 calls in 2010 - an increase of 485 on the 2009 figure. As in previous years, the highest number of calls related to unprovoked assault.

In January of this year assault accounted for one in five calls to the helpline and the majority of these assaults were unprovoked.

The other most common crimes generating calls to the helpline last year were robbery, burglary and intimidation.

According to the Central Statistics Office there are more than 200,000 reported crimes in Ireland each year. Maeve Ryan, co-ordinator of the National Crime Victims Helpline, said this was a “shocking” figure and it underlined the challenge in encouraging these people to come forward and seek help. She said there were more than 20,000 burglaries every year and these burglaries typically affected more than one person.

She said more than 10,000 calls had been received by the helpline since it was set up five years ago. The numbers had been increasing every year but the reasons were not clear, Ms Ryan said.

“It may be that there is greater awareness of our service or that there is an increase in the number of crimes that generate calls, such as assault, robbery, burglary and intimidation.”

Ms Ryan said many callers to the helpline were very distressed and traumatised by their experience of crime, even though it might have happened weeks or even months earlier.

“Some people also find the entire criminal process confusing and difficult and many callers relate experiences of being kept in the dark and generally believing there is more support for the perpetrator than the victim.”

She said the helpline frequently got calls from victims of assault several months after the event, wondering why it took so long to have someone prosecuted for the crime.

The helpline provides information on the Garda investigation process, the DPP office and the courts process. She said it was widely accepted that a large proportion of crimes went unreported but victims of these crimes were welcome to contact the helpline.

Most people learn about the helpline from their contact with gardaí. After a crime is reported, gardaí send a letter to the victim providing details on the investigation and letting the victim know about the helpline.

Ms Ryan said the helpline had contacted all political parties to ensure that victims of crime continue to receive State support, regardless of the formation of the next government. “We have asked the political parties to make a commitment to services for crime victims in their election manifestos and then to carry this through to a commitment in the programme for government.”

The National Crime Victims Helpline is a freephone number – 116 006 – and the website is crimevictimshelpline.ie. The service can also be accessed by texting 085 1337711.