Sadiq Khan has launched a new online "live chat" service for victims of crime in the capital who might find it difficult to get help in person. London live chat launched on Thursday (October 27) and is the first service of its kind in the UK. It will be run by charity Victim Support (VS).
Funded by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), the text based live chat will give victims a place online to talk openly about their experiences anonymously. The tool's key feature lies in the quick response people can expect when needing emotional support, as well as the service being free. Anyone who has been affected by crime in London, whether or not the crime has been reported to the police, can use the service.
Live chat users will be able to type their comments or questions into the designated section and will receive responses "almost immediately".
The service operates Monday to Friday, from 12 pm to 7.30pm. The move comes not long after Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced two "child houses" are set to open in London, the first safe houses of their kind for young victims of sexual abuse.
In a statement about the £7.2 million project aiming to put victims first, the minister said: "As we investigate and prosecute these crimes it is vital that victims, who have already suffered in ways most of us could never imagine, are supported and protected throughout the process."
London live chat can be accessed on Victim Support’s website, www.victimsupport.org.uk/livechatlondon and children and young people will have access to the live chat service via the charity’s youth programme website, www.youandco.org.uk/livechatlondon
