Crime and how to report it

Any young person may become a victim of crime. Some common types of crime directed towards young people are theft, robbery, assault, racial harassment and bullying.

Young people who have been victims of crime sometimes feel shock, anger, desire for revenge, fear of going out alone or fear of returning to the place where the attack occurred, such as school.They may also experience loss of sleep, become withdrawn, or become anxious about any pending court case.

If a crime is committed directly against a young person it is easy to see how they are affected, but young people are most often indirect victims of crime – affected by crimes against their parents, relatives or against family property.

A young person may not be the only one needing support. Both you and other members of your family may be experiencing strong feelings. Some parents or carers feel very angry or upset themselves at what has happened, others may find it difficult to cope with the young persons reactions or behaviour following an offence.

Tips for supporting a young victim of crime

• Listening is one of the most useful things a parent or carer can do. Allowing young victims to talk about what has happened and how they feel is vital to their wellbeing. However, try not to rush in with your thoughts, comments or suggestions.
• Let them know that what they are feeling is okay and normal, even if their reactions are different to the other people who may be going through the same kind of experience.
• Reassure them that what happened was not their fault and that you are there and you care for them.
• If they tell you something that makes you angry or upset try not to be judgemental. Instead, thank them for telling you.
• Ask what they would like you to do with the information they give you. Well meaning adults often decide what is best without consulting the young person. This can sometimes add to the confusion and stress a young person is going through in the aftermath of crime.
• Lack of self esteem and confidence in a young person can be devastating. Involve young people in decision making and problem solving processes, no matter how minor you may think that may be. This will allow them to regain a little more control.
• Some children may regress emotionally. Be as patient as you can while this happens.
• Young people, like adults, will want to know what will happen next. Try and be as honest as possible and access other agencies for information and support if necessary.
• Speak with your child’s school about what has happened and ask for their support.

Please help us to help you

If you think that your child has been the victim of a crime please report it to the police on telephone 101 (non emergency number). In an emergency situation please telephone 999.

You can also email youngvictims@torbay.gov.uk.

The Victim Support website  is also a good source of information and advice.  

You can also view our short film about young victims of crime.

Other information

At Safer Communities Torbay we take all crime seriously, especially crime against local young people. For some time we’ve been working on a project to help young victims of crime. To find out more about that work visit our projects webpage.

If you would like to read more about issues relating to teenagers, Torbay NHS Care Trust has produced a publication specifically for parents called Learning to live with your teenager.

Another good source of information, advice, support and news is the Family Lives website.