South 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 South 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 South London. This includes:
- Southwark
- Merton
- Sutton
- Wandsworth
- Lambeth
- Greenwich
- Lewisham
- Bromley
- Croydon
- Bexley
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 South London. These include:
South London: home security in Bexley
Our home security project includes carrying out security surveys and upgrades to support people who’ve experienced burglary, domestic violence and those who identify themselves as vulnerable. We can help with:
- basic improvements for doors and windows
- lock fitting services
- installing a fireproof letter bag or London bar
- crime prevention advice.
Domestic violence (IDVA): Merton
Our specialist independent domestic violence advocates (IDVAs) provide a dedicated advocacy and advice service. We offer support to people affected by domestic violence and abuse.
Our IDVAs can:
- help you to plan safety strategies
- support you in accessing and navigating the criminal justice system
- provide support, advocacy, advice and information.
This service is free and available to everyone, whether or not a report has been made to the police and regardless of when the abuse happened. You can get in touch by calling 08 08 16 89 111 or email Merton.CommunityIDVA@victimsupport.org.uk.
One of the people we’ve helped to cope after crime is Maria (not her real name), a mother of two who was a victim of hate crime.
“I was referred to Victim Support following an incident I reported to the police, when I was assaulted by a neighbour who had been harassing me for three years. It started with antisocial behaviour – noise from the flat above, abuse in the street, car damage from my neighbour – which finally resulted with me being assaulted by her sister. I was scared for my safety and for my family’s safety.
“On the day of the incident, my neighbour’s sister was visiting and she saw my husband in the garden and started shouting and abusing him. On my way back I saw my neighbour and her sister in the alley to the flats. I tried to walk past quickly and the sister grabbed me by my hair and shoved me on the ground, kicking and punching me and scratching my face, then she tried to strangle me. I was so shocked and froze at the time. I ran home and called the police.
“The police referred me to Victim Support and I was contacted within a few days and offered some emotional support with a caseworker, Julia. I was also offered a free home security assessment at my property as I was feeling so scared in my home; a gentleman came out and fitted a London bar to my front door and a fireproof letter bag to my letterbox which helped with my anxiety of them living so close. I was also given two personal alarms to carry when I was out of my home as I felt vulnerable out in the street, especially as this is where the attack happened.
“Within a couple of months the perpetrators were charged with common assault. My husband attended court for the plea hearing, where the suspects pleaded guilty and the trial was set for August. Even though this outcome was supposed to make me feel better I had never felt more anxious, and Julia gave me ongoing emotional support which I found extremely helpful. I looked forward to her weekly calls and appointments as they helped me immensely.
“The court case was pushed back three times and Victim Support supported me throughout. Without their support I don’t feel I could have attended trial and provided my best evidence. Knowing that my caseworker believed me and I could trust her with how I felt, and to know she was not judging me, allowed me to move on and start to rebuild my confidence again. I also decided to stay in my family home and feel empowered to lead a normal life again.”
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.
- Athena Refuge – specialist Independent Gender-based Violence Advocacy (IGVA) team to support you if you are at risk of serious harm.
- Bromley & Croydon Women’s Aid – services, including refuge support, outreach support and awareness programmes.
- Her Centre – women-led charity that supports women who have experienced domestic abuse and violence, rape or sexual abuse.
- National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) – supporting recovery from child abuse.
- Rape Crisis South London – specialist support for women and girls, aged 11 and over, who have experienced sexual violence, at any time in their lives.
- Solace – female-led organisation that supports high risk women aged 18 and over who have experienced domestic abuse.
- Survivors UK – working with men aged 18 and over who have been raped or sexually abused.
- The Metro Centre – health, community and youth services across London and the South East. METRO works with anyone experiencing issues related to gender, sexuality, diversity or identity.
