Linden police’s victim support team has the specific role of being present at a crime scene to assist the victims with trauma and counselling.
Linden police spokesperson Constable Takalani Matumba said the work the unit performed in assisting victims of crime was imperative to the work that the police did.
She added that the four pillars of victim empowerment the police strove to offer were emotional support, practical support, providing information and referral to professional support services.“Our officers who work at crime scenes and the charge office have duties to perform in gathering information on a case and to act quickly in investigating the case. They try their best to comfort victims, but the professional volunteers of victim support help to act as the next step in comforting victims who have experienced the traumatic event. Their input is tremendously important at a crime scene, and in the days after as the case continues,” said Matumba.
According to police, all victims of crime have the right to a victim-friendly service and this was especially true for sexual offences and other serious and violent crimes. Victims have the right to be treated with fairness, respect, dignity and in private when reporting a crime.
“As the Linden Police Station, we applaud the work that our victim support volunteers provide to the community. They deserve a ton of respect and we hope that the wider community can support them where they can.”
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