Victims of crime are set to be better informed thanks to Home Office moves which back a Yorkshire Evening Post campaign.

Government cash will be set aside to ensure prosecution solicitors keep the victims of crime, and their families, better informed – and tell them about key decisions and the progress of their case.

The move comes as a boost to the paper’s Justice for Victims campaign, which was started three weeks ago to fight for crime victims to be kept up-to-date. It also calls for them to be consulted and informed throughout the legal process.

The Government’s plans were revealed in an interview with the chief crown prosecutor for West Yorkshire, Neil Franklin.

He told the paper that during the next 18 months, extra cash would help pay for prosecution solicitors to carry out the new work.

Lawyers would have to provide more face-to-face explanations to families about developments on serious cases.

Mr Franklin said: “This is a crucial development. It is an acceptance that we have to be seen to be serving the public and are accountable to the public.”

Solicitors and legal staff now face a three-day training programme to get them up to speed for when the proposed regulations are brought in.

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