Thame resident’s work with victims of crime and the EU

IN response to yesterday’s report on the experiences of professional opera singer, Adrian Thompson, of working across Europe and the wider world, today we have heard from a local, retired Probation Officer.

Geoff Emerson from Thame has spent a lot of time over the last 30 years developing services for victims of crime. He commented: “The most exciting venture I have taken part in is an EU funded project. It involved other countries in Europe (Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and others) sharing their experience of pilot projects, involving victims of the most serious crimes, who requested to meet the offender who harmed them, or a member of their family.

“As a result of what we learned from a Belgian project, we have been able to give significant help to crime victims, who say that the experience has dramatically changed their lives for the better. Without the EU directive (setting out minimum standards), EU funding and the fruitful collaboration with our partners, this would have been impossible.”

Share YOUR experiences, whether positive or negative, of how the EU has influenced or affected YOUR life by emailing: editor@thame.net