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Making a victim personal statement

A VPS is a statement that you can give to the police (or any agency or organisation assigned by the police to take the VPS on their behalf) if you have been a victim of crime.

It is your way of telling the criminal justice system about the crime you have suffered and the impact it has had on you,whether physically, emotionally, psychologically, financially or in any other way.

Your VPS is important and gives you a voice in the criminal justice process by helping others to understand how the crime has affected you.

The police must offer the opportunity to make a VPS to the following people:

any victim at the time they complete a witness statement about what has happened.

victims of the most serious crime (including bereaved close relatives), persistently targeted victims, and vulnerable or intimidated victims, irrespective of whether or not they have given a witness statement about what happened;
a parent or carer of a vulnerable adult or of a young victim under the age of 18 unless it is considered not to be in the best interests of the child or vulnerable adult.

Under the Victims’ Code, the police will offer you the opportunity to make a VPS at the same time as you give a witness statement. However, if you decide not to at that point you can still make a VPS to the police or agencies or organisations assigned by them at anytime before trial or sentencing.

Your VPS will explain the impact the crime has had on you.

For example,you might want to mention:

any physical, financial, emotional or psychological injury you have suffered and/or any treatment you may have received as a result of the crime.
if you feel vulnerable or intimidated.
if you no longer feel safe.
the impact on your family.
how your quality of life has changed on a day-to-day basis.
if you need additional support, for example because you are likely to appear as a witness at the trial.

Please be aware that the VPS is a formal witness statement and you will need to sign a declaration confirming that it is true to the best of your knowledge.

In addition, your VPS must not include your thoughts or opinion on how the alleged offender should be punished – this is for the magistrate or judge to decide. Any inappropriate content, such as unsubstantiated claims against the alleged offender, may be removed from the final version of the statement before the court.

For more detailed information on this section, please select the 'Ministry of Justice: Making a Victim Personal Statement' option, found in our links and download section below.