Greater Manchester Crime Support Line set to close

A dedicated helpline offering support to victims of crime concerned about how their crime has been dealt with by police will close on Friday 19 February.

Any new callers will be diverted automatically to the existing Greater Manchester Victims’ Service helpline for support to help them cope and recover, and victims of crime can still make a formal complaint or raise any concerns or issues about how their crime was dealt with by contacting Greater Manchester Police (GMP) directly.

The Greater Manchester Crime Support Line was launched in December 2020 to provide support to victims of crime who may have concerns about how their crime has been recorded by GMP or were not referred to victim support services.

It followed the publication of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS)’s report 'Greater Manchester Police - Victim Service Assessment (VSA)'.

Since its launch there have been 240 calls to the helpline, which is being delivered by Victim Support on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

However, as there has been very few calls in recent weeks, the dedicated line will now close and callers will be diverted to the existing Greater Manchester Victims’ Services support line.

Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire said: “The Greater Manchester Crime Support Line was launched in response to the concerning findings of the HMICFRS inspection, as part of a series of urgent actions to help restore public confidence and ensure that no victim of crime is left without the support they need.

“The support line has provided an additional and vital mechanism for victims of crime to seek reassurance that they are being taken seriously and to get the help they need to cope and recover. But due to the very low number of new callers in recent weeks, we have now made the decision to close the dedicated line and revert to our usual line mechanisms for victims to make contact.

“I want to reassure every victim of crime, that whilst the crime support line will close the wider existing support available to you remains available and accessible. You can contact the Greater Manchester Victims’ Services on 0161 200 1950 or visit gmvictims.org.uk.

“If you are not happy with the way GMP has dealt with your crime you can raise a complaint through the usual process via GMP’s website.” 

If you want to report a crime that has taken place within the last month, you should contact police directly by calling 101 or report online at gmp.police.uk. If you, or someone else is in immediate danger always dial 999.

You can also contact GMP directly if you want to make a complaint, request an update on an existing crime, or submit a new crime report. Visit gmp.police.uk

If you are not satisfied with how a complaint was handled by GMP, you may be able to request an independent review by GMCA. The Mayor, Andy Burnham and Deputy Mayor, Bev Hughes, are responsible for the performance of GMP and from February 1, 2020, they became responsible for the management of independent reviews that would not otherwise be managed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Find out more by clicking here: Police Reviews - Greater Manchester Combined Authority (greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk)

The Greater Manchester Victims’ Service is delivered by Victim Support. Normal opening hours are 9am-7pm Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday. There is a voicemail facility to take out of hours messages.

If you need urgent support outside of these hours, please call Victim Support’s national Supportline on 08 08 16 89 111 – this is open 24/7. Alternatively, you can use Live Chat online at victimsupport.org.uk

You can also find help, advice, and local support services at gmvictims.org.uk

Article Published: 18/02/2021 16:01 PM