Victims of crime

A victim of crime is someone who has suffered physical, psychological or emotional injury, or financial loss because of a crime, such as:

robbery
violent attacks
family violence
sexual assault.

It may also include a person who has witnessed a crime or a family member of a person who was injured or killed.

Reporting a crime

If you are a victim of crime, you can report the crime to police. If you are in danger, call the police on 000 immediately or go to the police station.

You can also contact the Victims of Crime Helpline on 1800 819 817 to talk about your options.

Once a crime is reported, the police will investigate. You will be asked to make a statement.

If charges are laid

If a charge is filed against the person who committed the crime, you may have to:

go to court as a witness to give evidence
make a victim impact statement to help the judge or magistrate understand how the crime affected you. It can be taken into account by the court in deciding the person’s penalty.

Compensation

As a victim of crime, you may be able to get financial help from the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal or compensation from the offender. See Financial assistance and compensation.

Victims of crime have rights

Victoria has a Victims’ Charter that sets out how victims should be treated by everyone handling a case. This includes police, the courts, the Office of Public Prosecutions and victim support agencies. The charter includes a complaints process.