THE chief executive of the Office For Criminal Justice Reform, Ursula Brennan, has been meeting staff at York's Victim Care Unit, at Clifton Moor.

The unit, which is run by Victim Support, is one of the first of its kind in the country and has benefited from part of a £1 million package to pilot new and enhanced victim services. It serves to offer help and support to victims of crime in the York area.

The package of funding came out of a Government green paper which set out a plan for creating services aimed at supporting the victims of crime.

The scheme, which is being set up alongside similar schemes in Nottingham and Salford in Greater Manchester, aims to provide improved, immediate and practical support which is tailored to victims needs. Ms Brennan also visited the Witness Care Unit, in Kettlestring Lane, York.

The unit acts as a one-stop shop for witnesses of a crime from the moment a suspect is charged to a verdict being delivered.