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Practical Assistance for Victims of Crime

If you are a victim of crime, it is important for you to have immediate practical support. Family and friends can be a great source of comfort and practical help, but that’s not always enough.

Crisis and ongoing assistance

In an emergency, call the police on 000.

Victims of Crime Helpline

Victims of Crime Helpline staff can provide information, advice and referrals by phone. The Victims Support Agency, which runs the Helpline, has an after-hours service for victims of crime if police refer them immediately after a crime has happened.

Victims Assistance and Counselling Program

If you need crisis help or help to recover from the ongoing effects of crime, trained Victims Assistance and Counselling Program team members in metropolitan and regional Victoria can give practical support to you, your family and others affected by the crime. Depending on your situation, they can help with:

• crisis response
• help in making a formal police report and liaising with police
• assistance to find accommodation
• short-term counselling for eligible people (details on the Counselling page)
• access to support groups and help to locate services such as lawyers or legal aid, for example
• information about what happens in court and support with processes, such as completing victim impact statements
• applying to the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal for counselling and financial assistance.

At court

If you need to go to court, Court Network volunteers and the Witness Assistance Service run by the Office of Public Prosecutions can help make it easier on the day. There is more information on legal assistance and going to court in the Court Process for Victims and Compensation pages in this section.

Longer term assistance

Depending on the outcome of the case or the investigation, you might feel relieved when it is over, but you might still be a long way from feeling secure and recovered from the effects of the crime—whether physical, emotional or financial.

Ongoing counselling may help (see Counselling). If you are concerned about your ongoing security, the Protection pages in this section explain intervention orders and the Victims Register, a way of finding out the earliest possible date the offender might be released from custody. For information about financial assistance, see Compensation.

Contacts

Victims of Crime Helpline

Tel: 1800 819 817

The Victims of Crime Helpline operates from 8:00am until 11:00pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays).

Victims Assistance and Counselling Program

Metropolitan Melbourne

Eastern
Tel: 1300 884 284

Northern
Tel: 03 9355 9900

Western
Tel: 03 8398 4178

Southern
Tel: 03 9705 3200

Barwon South West

Geelong
Tel: 03 5278 8122

Warrnambool
Tel: 03 5561 8888

Gippsland

Morwell, Warragul & Bairnsdale
Tel: 1800 777 423

Grampians

Ballarat
Tel: 03 5333 1351 or 1800 660 556

Horsham
Tel: 03 5382 6789

Hume

Shepparton
Tel: 03 5831 6967

Wodonga
Tel: 02 6056 6282

Wangaratta
Tel: 03 5723 2038

Loddon Mallee

Bendigo
Tel: 1800 620 542

Mildura
Tel: 03 5022 5400

For emergency police attendance call 000. Report non-emergency crime incidents to your local police station.