Young people often worry about being a victim of crime.

You may worry about being robbed, attacked, or sexually assaulted. You might worry about crime happening to your friends, family, or people you love and care for.

Although being a victim of a serious crime is rare, many people will be victimised at some point in their life. Many more will know and support friends and family members who have who have had a crime committed against them. Seeing someone else being hurt can sometimes be worse than being hurt yourself.

Whatever the situation, it is easier to know what to do and say, or to recover if you are a victim of crime yourself, if you:

• Know what to do and who to tell
• Can be strong in yourself and know it is not your fault
• Know how to get more support if you need it

Key link: Young Victims of Crime talk about their experiences in the Gallery

Is it a crime?

When a crime has been committed, people want something done about it. But in some situations you may not be sure if you want to report a crime or not. Reasons might include:

• You're afraid that someone will hurt you
• You don’t want to be thought of as a ‘grass’
• You're not sure what you saw
• You're not sure if it's really a crime

Sometimes it's difficult to know what to do. Talking to an adult you trust, e.g. your local Youth Worker can help. If you don't want to go to the police, there are other options. Specialist organisations can support you to report certain types of crime, e.g. sexual assault, racist or homophobic attacks, and crimestoppers will allow you to tell someone about a crime anonymously.

• Key link: Crimestoppers - Fight crime without revealing your identity

Related: bullying, domestic violence, abuse

Know what to do

In an emergency you should always dial 999.

It is an emergency when:

• a crime is being committed,
• there is a risk of injury,
• there is a risk of serious damage to property.

If a crime has been committed and it is not an emergency, you should report it using the non-emergency number. The Thames Valley police non emergency number is 0845 8 505 505. There are other ways of reporting crime on the Thames Valley Police website.

• Key link: Thames Valley Police

Related: In an Emergency, Advice on Staying Safe

Recovering after a crime

It is normal to feel very shaken and upset after a crime. You might find that you are afraid of strange things or behaving in ways that don't make sense. You may suffer flashbacks, or become very angry or sad. These feelings can be very strong, but they should fade over time. These things can help:

• Spending time at home or somewhere where you feel safe
• Talking to family and friends, or trained workers
• Doing nice things like having baths or watching films you like

You may need to take time off school or work, e.g. to recover from an injury, but many people find that the sooner they get back into their normal routines, the better they recover.

Sometimes people find recovering after a crime is more difficult. This can be because it is a very bad crime, or because the person who did it was not caught. But sometimes it seems to happen for no reason. If you find that:

• The feelings are getting worse over time, not better
• You are increasingly stressed, anxious or unhappy
• You are changing your behaviour because of your feelings

Then you are not alone. Many people find they need a bit of extra help to get over being a victim of crime. Don't keep it to yourself. Talk to your Youth Worker, Connexions Personal Adviser, GP (Doctor), or call the Victim Support Line or Childline. They may be able to refer you to a local young victim's programme or other types of support.

• Key link: Victim Support
• Help Line: Victim Support Line - 0845 30 30 900 Mon-Fri 9am–9pm, Sat-Sun 9am–7pm, bank holidays 9am-5pm
  Confidential support and listening service for victims of crime
• Help line: Childline - 0800 1111 at any time to speak to a counsellor, no problem is too big or small

The Oxford Young Victims of Crime Project

Oxfordshire County Council supports a very successful project supporting young people who become victims of crime, which is called SAFE!. As part of the recovery process, young people are offered one to one sessions with an adult, so that they can work together on ideas about how they can regain their confidence and start to feel safe again.  If you are a young person who has suffered from a crime and would like to know more about this service, or know of someone else who might need support following a crime, contact Pete at the email address below for more information. You can see some creative work produced by young victims of crime in the Gallery.

This project has also produced a book called Are You OK? : A Practical Guide to Helping Young Victims of Crime by Pete Wallis, which has been published on behalf of SAFE! to help professionals who are supporting young victims of crime. If you would like more information about The Oxford Young Victims Project, SAFE!, or a copy of the book, please contact: peter.wallis@oxfordshire.gov.uk