The Government have withdrawn plans that would have removed the right to compensation for many retailers and their staff that suffer minor injuries in incidents of violent crime.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme provides victims of violent crime compensation in recognition of a sense of public sympathy for the pain and suffering of the victim. The Government proposed to remove funding for band 1 to 5 injuries (which includes multiple broken ribs, speech impairment, burns and scarring for example) and scale down compensation for more serious band 6 to 12 injuries.
James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said: “We hope that no retailer or employee suffers injury resulting from violent crime, but if they do we think they should be entitled to compensation. We are pleased that the Government have listened and decided to review their proposal for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and will monitor closely the Ministry of Justice next steps”
A Ministry of Justices pokesperson said: "The government is committed to providing the best possible support for victims of crime – maintaining compensation for the most seriously affected – and to reforming the criminal injuries compensation scheme to put it on a sustainable financial footing."
The ACS submission to the ’Getting is Right for Victims and Witnesses’ consultation is available on the ACS library www.acs.org.uk.
No comments yet