Victims of crime research report: Cairns Region 2009

Executive Summary

The Victims of Crime Steering Committee (VOCSC) commissioned a project in July 2009 to identify improvements in co-ordination of referral pathways between stakeholder services, and between stakeholder services and victims of crime in the Cairns Region .

This report does not fully incorporate the response to victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. Both areas are well covered elsewhere with their own peak bodies, discrete literatures, specialised support services and considerable histories. These exclusions are not to diminish the suffering caused by perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual assault, but to learn from these two domains’ service experience in responding to victims of non-intimate assault, robbery, theft and burglary. The VOCSC ultimately asks: how does a community best assist those who suffer from the effects of these crimes in the Cairns Region, especially when so many of them suffer in silence. Up to 60 per cent of all crimes are not reported to the police, and up to 73 per cent of all victims do not seek support, restorative justice or restitution.

The report begins with a literature review that contributes in addressing the following desired outcomes:

1. summary of the present state of support for those victimised by non-intimate assault, robbery, theft and burglary in the Cairns Region
2. recommendations on how to best engage victims of crime in order to provide practical information and therapeutic support
3. identification of a best practice model addressing prevention or reduction of re-victimisation, especially by criminal justice system processes and workers
4. identification of best practice model to engage stakeholders in collaborative support of victims, witnesses and affected family members of specified crime
5. determination of ways to capture and share local data on victims, witnesses and affected family members of crime in the Cairns Region

Research was conducted among members of the psychosocial support community in the Cairns Region (n=24) August to October 2009 who were identified as offering both direct and indirect services for victims of crime to satisfy the first desired outcome, and to garner their views to contribute to the four other desired outcomes. This research establishes a baseline on which to build further research about support for victims of crime in the Cairns Region.
 

An initiative of Cairns Regional Council, Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service, Family Planning Queensland Sexual Assault Service, Office for Director of Public Prosecutions Victims Liaison Program, Queensland Health Victim Support Service, Queensland Police Service, Relationships Australia Victims Counselling and Support Service, Seniors Legal and Support Service and Wuchopperen Health Service