VICTIMS of crime can feel very isolated and vulnerable - but a service which offers support and comfort wants people to know they are not alone.

This week is Victim Support Week and staff in Wiltshire can expect to be busier than ever.

The team of dedicated professionals and volunteers based at Victim Support Wiltshire's centre in Devizes estimate the number of people they provide support to will double from 7,500 to more than 15,000 this year as it expands the hours it opens.

Victim Support Wiltshire has hired four new members of staff so they can help victims in need outside normal working hours.

Unfortunately for the centre's staff it is a fact of life that no matter how many clients they help, there will always be thousands more whose cries for help will go unheard.

However, the charity's trained professionals remain optimistic that will change.

Kim Swinden, manager for witness services, says the organisation is there for anyone, whether they be a victim of minor assault, robbery or sexual attack.

She believes Victim Support Week is important because it acts as a great publicity tool for the services they offer to all victims.

She said many people believe it is only there for those who have been victims of major crimes. But she says they deal with all victims.

"That is why this week is so important as it tends to be a great way to raise our profile as a charity and to make victims aware of our existence," she said.

"Crime is often looked at through the eyes of the offender more than the victim. We are here to look at the other side of things.

"However, that is what makes publicity tough because the reality is that people don't need to know about us until they have been victimised.

"That is why it is important people are aware of us, so that if they need us, they know where to look."

Jo Motto, community service manager, says the service is growing with help from the police and the Home Office, their largest donor.

But she stresses that although the service works closely with all criminal justice organisations, like the police and the courts, reporting an incident to Victim Support does not mean the police have to find out.

She said: "We support people from start to finish, we are non- judgemental, totally independent, free and entirely confidential.

"We can work over the phone and in person, so victims can come into the office. We can also meet them in their home or even the local coffee shop.

"Crime is very disconcerting for people and our main goal is to make things comfortable for victims."

Anyone wanting help for themselves or others following a crime can contact 01380 729476 between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday.