Victims promised justice for foreign crimes

SCOTS who fall victim to crime on holiday abroad will be able to report it to their local police station when they return home, under new plans to improve justice across the European Union.

Victim campaigners believe tens of thousands of crimes against Scots go either unreported or uninvestigated every year.

However, a new European Parliament directive, which will be negotiated on in Brussels on 27 March, would create a minimum standard of support for victims across the EU.

It would mean that if a Scot is raped, murdered or robbed in another member country, a complaint could be lodged at their home police station. Scottish officers would then provide a victim statement to the police force in the country where the crime happened, and that force would be compelled to act.

If they do not, they could find themselves in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, by failing to provide access to justice.

Victim Support Scotland estimates that only a quarter of EU countries provide the same levels of care and investigation as Scotland when a foreign national is offended against.

If passed, the directive would provide access to justice currently denied to many Scots.

Victim Support Scotland president David McKenna said: “I think that has to be part of the way forward for victims of crime in Scotland – you should be able to report the crime when you get home.

“That police force would then pass on the details and keep you informed of progress. You should also be able to give evidence by electronic means, such as video, without having to go back to the country in question.”

Mr McKenna said many Scots who were victims of crime abroad either chose to return home without reporting it, or if they did were not taken seriously by local police.

“There are not a lot of figures around, but tens of thousands of Scots a year are victims of crime in Europe,” he added.

The directive would aim to set a minimum standard for compensation, to help victims deal with travel and medical costs, while also cracking down on cross-border criminals.

The directive is the result of lobbying by victims groups including Victim Support Europe.

Scots MEP Alyn Smith, who is backing the plans for a directive, said: “In Scotland we have the best practice for victims’ rights across the EU. We have a real opportunity to spread those victims rights’ across Europe. This is not a dry, technical area, this is about real people and real issues.

“The system of victims’ rights in Europe is not fit for practice. It was not fit for the last century, let alone this one.”

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said: “We will always ensure that the appropriate level of support is available for people who report crime in Scotland which is alleged to have been committed in another part of Europe. The outcomes of further discussion on the EU directive are awaited and the police service in Scotland will respond accordingly.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “While we welcome the proposed EU directive, in Scotland we are working to improve standards and rights for victims from a strong base.”