North London
Phone
If you’ve been affected by crime, call The London Victim and Witness Service (LVWS). Lines are open 8am-8pm, Monday to Friday.
Supportline
If you need support outside of your local team’s opening hours, you can call our Supportline for free. Or find other ways to get help.
Get help from your local team
Call us
If you’ve been affected by crime in North London, call the London Victim and Witness Service (LVWS) on 0808 168 9291. Lines are open 8am-8pm, Monday to Friday.
If you need telephone support outside of your local team’s opening hours, you can call our Supportline, for free, on 08 08 16 89 111. Supportline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Go online
Visit the London Victim and Witness Service (LVWS) website.
Our free live chat support service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You can also request support via the website. A member of the team will get back to you to see how we can help.
My Support Space is a free online resource containing interactive guides aimed at helping you to manage the impact crime has had on you. It’s easy to set up an account and get access to over 70 guides. My Support Space allows you to work through the guides at your own pace.
LVWS is a support service for London residents who are affected by or witness to crime. LVWS is commissioned by the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC).
We give free, confidential help to people who have been affected by crime in North London. This includes:
- Harrow
- Barnet
- Enfield
- Haringey
- Hackney
- City of London
- Camden
- Islington
We’re an independent charity and you can contact us for support regardless of whether you’ve contacted the police, and no matter how long ago the crime took place. We’ll help you for as long as it takes to overcome the impact of crime. We’re an independent charity and you can contact us for support regardless of whether you’ve contacted the police, and no matter how long ago the crime took place. You can also contact us for support regardless of your immigration status in England and Wales.
If you call LVWS, we’ll provide support that’s personalised to you. We’ll listen with compassion and help you find ways to manage and feel safer. We can also inform you of your rights and the services that you may be entitled to. If you’d like us to, we can refer you to other specialist organisations that can also help.
As well as offering support to people affected by crime, we run a number of specialist services in North London. These include:
- Specialist, tailored support to young people who have experienced crime. This includes young victims affected by serious youth violence and gang associated crime in Hackney and Islington. We also provide workshops and outreach support sessions at local schools.
- Specialist support for vulnerable victims of domestic and sexual violence in the City of London. We work closely with the Public Protection Unit to support victims with the help they need. You can get in touch by calling 08 08 16 89 111.
- Risk screening for victims of domestic abuse to ensure they are fully supported in Camden, in partnership with Camden Safety Net.
- We also run specialist services in Camden, Islington and Haringey providing vital support to residents experiencing antisocial behaviour (ASB).
One of the people we’ve helped to cope is Mine (not her real name), who has experienced antisocial behaviour.
Mine was referred to Victim Support by the police after she was threatened with a knife when confronting youths smoking drugs in a communal area of her home.
The group were constantly harassing her when went out and Mine’s 11 year old brother was also affected by the incident. After initial discussions with Victim Support, Mine requested advocacy with the council, her housing officer, and the police as well as emotional support to help her move on from the effects of the incident.
Working with Victim Support, Mine received assistance from the special protection scheme for her home address. For immediate reassurance, Mine’s Victim Support caseworker provided a personal alarm to her and her brother. The caseworker made regular contact with Mine, as well as emailing involved parties, such as the police and her housing officer, to ensure Mine’s housing transfer progressed quickly. This was especially important as Mine raised fears about further incidents with the gang. Working with the Haringey antisocial behaviour team, the Victim Support caseworker was able to ensure that Mine’s case was discussed at a Haringey panel meeting far quicker than expected.
The gang’s harassment also had an emotional impact on Mine and her brother. The caseworker encouraged her to get in touch with her GP for counselling, as well as calling her regularly to provide support. Mine said that as a result of our involvement, she has felt more comfortable and much safer.
Mine also expressed concern in the change in behaviour of her younger brother. She feared he may get involved in gang activity. The caseworker made a referral to social services and continued to liaise with them. Mine was also encouraged by the caseworker to get in touch with her brother’s school and tell them of her concerns. After this Mine started to work with the school and this had a positive impact on her own outlook. For additional support on possible gang affiliation the caseworker referred her brother to Safer London for more specialised help.
We work with a number of partner organisations in South London to make sure you get the support you need. Find out more about some of the services and organisations we work with.
Please note, Victim Support is not responsible for the content of third-party websites.
- Capsticks– law firm specialising in health and social care and social housing.
- Help on Your Doorstep – working to improve health and wellbeing in Islington.
- Nia – services aimed at ending violence against women and girls.
- Partners – in partnership with the London Borough of Islington, Partners operates the private finance initiative (PFI) projects in Islington.
- Solace Women’s Aid – advice and advocacy services for victims of domestic and sexual violence.
