Compensation for victims of crime

If you have been the victim of a violent crime, you could be eligible to receive compensation from the Compensation Agency - an Executive Agency within the Northern Ireland Office that can pay money to anyone who has been physically or mentally injured as the innocent victim of a violent crime.

We also make compensation awards to those whose property has been maliciously damaged, and under the Justice & Security (NI) Act 2007, compensation can be paid to anyone who suffers loss or damage as a consequence of army or police action which is carried out in support of UK Government action to protect national security.

How can the Compensation Agency help you?

The Agency offers a free service, processing applications and making awards on each of our 4 schemes.

If you want to make an application, you can do this yourself, or you can get free help and assistance with the application process from Victim Support. You could also pay a solicitor to help you, although you should be aware that the Compensation Agency cannot pay the costs of this for you.

Checking your eligibility for criminal injuries compensation

You may be eligible if:

  • you have been injured seriously enough to qualify for at least the minimum award (£1000)
  • you were injured in an act of violence in Northern Ireland – an offender does not necessarily have to have been convicted of, or even charged with the crime
  • you are making your application within two years of the incident that caused your injury – however, applications may still be accepted after two years if, in your particular case, it wasn’t reasonable to expect an application to be made within this time

If you are a UK resident, but were injured outside of England, Scotland and Wales, use the links below to apply for compensation:

Reasons your compensation may be refused or reduced

The Compensation Agency can decide to reduce or completely refuse your compensation for the following reasons:

  • due to your behaviour before, during or after the incident in which you were injured
  • your criminal record
  • your failure to co-operate with the police, or with CICA
  • your delay in informing the police, or other organisation, or person of the incident

How to apply

Contact our Customer Information Officer on 02890 547417. Lines are open from 9.00am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday. Application forms can be sent to your address or collected at our office.

You may also print the application form direct from our website. Please note that the type of application form you require will depend on when your injury occurred.

Types of compensation you can apply for

There are four types of compensation:

Compensation for injuries (including sexual offences)

This type of compensation simply recognises that you have suffered the injury. As well as this, the Compensation Agency can also compensate for loss of earnings and special expenses.

Compensation because a loved one has died as a result of a violent crime

If your parent, child, husband, wife or partner (including a same-sex partner) has died as the result of a violent crime, you may get this type of compensation. If you depended financially on the person who died, you may also be able to claim compensation for this. We can also refund funeral expenses to the person who has paid for the funeral.

Compensation for loss of earnings

If you have lost earnings, or the ability to earn, for longer than 28 weeks as a direct result of the injury, you may claim for this. If you qualify for an award for loss of earnings, the Compensation Agency will pay compensation from the 29th week that you cannot work.

Compensation for special expenses

Details of other expenses you can claim for are in the Scheme. They can include:

  • medical treatment which cannot be provided by the NHS
  • care provided by a residential establishment or home
  • adaptations made to your home as a result of the injury

How the Compensation Agency makes a decision

As soon as your application is received your details will be registered and we will request a police report in relation to the incident. You will be sent an acknowledgement letter. Once the police report is received, a caseworker will look at your claim and decide whether further information is needed, ie. medical evidence, loss of earnings details.

When all the information needed to make a decision on your claim is received, the caseworker will assess all the material and decide whether compensation can be paid.

Appealing against a decision

If you are unhappy with the decision made by the Compensation Agency, you can request a review of the decision, which should be made within 3 months from the date of the first decision. A separate review branch within the Agency will independently re-assess your claim, and at this stage further information may be requested. You will be notified who your review caseworker is once your request for a review is received.

If you are unhappy with the review decision, you can appeal the decision to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland (CICAPNI), which is an independent organisation outside the remit of the Compensation Agency. Your appeal should be made within 3 months of the review decision being issued.

Special arrangements for paying awards

The Compensation Agency may sometimes need to make special arrangements for paying an award, to take account of the circumstances of the victim or of other relevant issues. For example, if the victim is a child, the award will be kept in a bank account which earns interest until the child is 18 years old. Awards for adults legally incapable of handling their own affairs might also be paid into trusts for the applicant's benefit.

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