| pOUGLAS COLLEGE |
| _ ARCHIVES

 

  
 

 

‘Mad Hatter Page 5
= — amet A

Cpl. Larry Smith of the New Westminster view public from crime and if that sosea emer
1 assistance program. ‘| we can't turn our backs."

 

 

 

 

Established in January, 1983, the New West- | About 15 volunteers helped more than 700
minster victim assistance program is the victims of crime in the program' s first
Joldest of its kind in B.C., and one of six year of opere on. Now the workers assist
|programs in the Lower Mainland. It provided] 70 to 80 victims a month.
legal aid and home security advice to the |
jelderly couple, ‘who requested anonymity be- | But the volunteers are barely coping with ©
|cause they fear reprisals from the friends | the demand. Margaret Monk, New Westmin- ~ |
lof the suspect, who is in custody. _ ster's volunteer coordinator, concedes that

some less needy cases, such as a b i
Similar programs are emerging in Coquitlam, and entering at a local business, wi
|Richmond and North Vancouver. In Surrey, ceive only a polite letter offering ser-
residents*run a victim services program to vices.
|help the municipality’ 's RCMP detachment cope 1 |
Jwith the increasing crime rate. (The solici-| "We concentrate on tid elderly - they ae,
|tor-general's office has yet to approve funds| ally feel more traumatized and less able to.
|for the program in Vancouver). cope with a break-in or assault." iy

 

   

  

 

|New Westminster’ s core staff of about 20 | Monk, a Douglas College student, has ‘exper-
|volunteers including an unpaid coordinator, jenced that ‘trauma herself. Fire gutted | |
jlend a sympathetic ear. to the victims, a | the apartment she lived in three years ago, |
jhand | in filling out Criminal Injury Compensa-| and left her enraged.
|tion forms and a file of information on how —
|to secure their homes and businesses. ‘An expression of wonder appear: on her. face
| as she recalls the intense hai tred she felt

About 80 percent of the cases result from for the arsonist. "The depth of my emo-

   
 
 

*

  
 

breaking and entering offences. | tions shocked me. 1 think many victims of |. )
crime feel that. . . (but) I think the ex-
The staff direct victims who are seeking /perience motivated me to assist others."

 

more help to professional counselling agen- | |
|cies” ind | ‘to soc rganizations in Bic. 5. ‘The provincial government, however, ice
such as Victims of Violence, a self-help |making her job any easier. In July, "S983, |
group advocating ‘the recognition of victims' the Social redit government cut tt a Ohites ot
rights. inal Injury Compensation Act budget from

) $2. a million to $2.2 million. The budget |
was reduced by almost a half when the Feb-

: ‘ruary, 1984, provincial budget was tabled -
on the progress of the police ‘investigation. | from $2.2 million to $1 -05 million.
As well, volun eers arm witnesses with re-

assurance and knowledge about the justice /Yonk says she has not yet noticed the bud-
system before accompanying them to court, get cut's effect because most victims must
' wait at least six months before they receive ;
Smith says New Westminster's victim services their claims from the Workers" Compensation !
grew out of a realization among the force |Board, which administers the ei Injury
that victims needed help. - [Compensation Act. |

a

   

 

  

The program also prepares victims for court
proceedings by giving them regular

        

 

 

"There has never been a shoulder to cry on | Larry ‘Timoffee, solicitor for the criminal
for the victim. The justice system has al- Jin jury compensation program says tha’
|ways been geared to the perpetrator of the pite ‘the budget cut, victims will receive

     

 

 

 

i
doo a

pee Smith Says. "We must heer aie | the same aertiat assistance | as before to