A breakthrough in victim communication

Like many forces across the UK, South Yorkshire Police are committed to improving the support offered to victims in the aftermath of crime. Serving around 1.37 million people across 600 square miles, the force recognised the need for more compassionate, consistent, and accessible care during one of the most distressing times in a person’s life. Their goal is to ensure every person impacted by crime feels heard, supported, and informed throughout their journey.

Transforming the victim experience together 

When South Yorkshire Police first partnered with Infomentum in 2024, their ambition was to make every interaction with crime victims more human, transparent, and efficient. The force wanted to provide timely, personalised updates that reassured those impacted at every stage, while also giving staff the tools and processes to work smarter and reduce manual effort.

• Victims of crime needed regular updates to feel supported and informed
• Staff were overwhelmed by high enquiry volumes and the manual reporting process
• Inconsistent processes and incomplete contact data led to delays and frustration on both sides

These insights sparked a new, connected approach to victim engagement which evolved into the Victim Journey solution - designed to strengthen trust, reduce workloads, and create a smoother, supportive experience for people during an often scary or distressing time.

Building on the approach already adopted by eight other UK forces, we worked closely with South Yorkshire Police to bring the Victim Journey solution to life. Tried and tested by these other forces, the solution would make case management more efficient for policing teams while helping victims feel clearer about what was happening at each stage of their journey.

How we made it work

We began by mapping the key points in the victim journey where communication mattered most. From there, we matched each crime type to the right update flow and guidance. We also strengthened data quality at the outset, making sure contact details were accurate so every message reached the right person and avoided unnecessary delays throughout the process.

With the foundations set, we introduced Mulesoft to securely connect core systems, including NEC Connect and STORM, ensuring information from the crime system flowed directly into the victim's journey. Powered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud, the Victim Journey solution would then deliver real-time notifications by SMS or email, based on each victim’s preference. These updates cover important moments, including:

• Confirmation that a report has been received
• Guidance specific to the type of crime
• Notifications when a case is assigned to an officer
• Updates when a case is closed

Next, we provided the integration to support Digital Public Contact’s National MyPolice portal. This integration underpinned a 24/7 self-service portal where crime victims can log in to check the status of their case, review guidance tailored to their crime type and find the right support resources whenever they need them. As a result, this gives users more control and removes pressure from frontline teams who previously handled many of these enquiries by phone.

To complement the portal, we added also added secure two-way messaging that connects directly to officer workflows. Victims can respond to updates, request clarification and raise concerns in a safe, controlled channel, allowing officers to resolve issues faster and keep communication clear.

Proof in the numbers

Since launch, the South Yorkshire control room has begun to see the impact of the solution in daily operations, reporting:

• A major reduction in calls and emails to the control room, freeing staff to focus on urgent investigations
• +117,000 messages sent, keeping victims updated in real time
• +16000 citizens onboarded to the Victim Journey solution
• An overall increase in victim satisfaction

Momentum gained

As the first police force to introduce two-way messaging through the Digital Public Contact National MyPolice portal, both South Yorkshire Police and Infomentum are proud to help shape the future of victim engagement and influence ongoing enhancements and innovation. This capability allows victims of crime  to respond securely to updates and ask questions directly, strengthening their sense of involvement while supporting more efficient ways of working. It marks an important step towards a fully interactive, end-to-end victim support journey for both the public and operational teams.

The South Yorkshire Police team are continuing to explore new innovations such as Bobbi, an AI-assistant that supports non-emergency enquiries and make trusted information easier to access for citizens in times of need.