Note: We have excluded our source’s last name at their request for privacy and security reasons. 

While Merritt RCMP are often kept busy focusing on the offender when responding to crimes and other emergency services, a specialized team of case workers within the detachment are committed to providing support and important services to victims and their families. Merritt RCMP Victim Services has operated in the valley for decades, run by Nicola Valley Women In Action in partnership with the RCMP. 

Shelby, a case worker with Merritt Victim Services, has been passionate about her career path since the young age of 5, when her family home in the Vancouver area was broken into. Victim Services representatives responding to the crime gave Shelby a teddy bear to comfort her during the upsetting experience, a gesture she has never forgotten. She now hands the bears out to clients herself, along with a plethora of other services. 

“We do crisis intervention, emotional support, offer information, practical assistance, referrals, and court support,” explained Shelby.

“If there’s a difficult scene where somebody is fairly distraught, the [RCMP] members will call us out so that we’re there with the family, or the person that needs the support. That way the members can do their investigation, or whatever they need to do, and we can just be with them.” 

Two case workers make up the Merritt Victim Services office, which is located at the RCMP detachment on Voght Street. While they aren’t employees of the RCMP, case workers do have a level of security clearance that allows them to provide clients with updates on police files, and ensures client confidentiality. While RCMP members often refer clients to Victim Services while on scene at an incident, victims of crime can also self refer. 

Although they aren’t counselors, Victim Services case workers also provide emotional support, along with referrals to mental health services if needed. Merritt Victim Services works with a number of local organizations, including the Nicola Valley Shelter and Support Services Society, Restorative Justice, and counselling services.They also guide victims of crime through the court system, which Shelby said can be a stressful and sometimes traumatic experience. 

“One thing that’s hard is that court is so scary,” said Shelby.

“When you get subpoenaed, and you have to go in there and you have to talk in front of people and be on that hot seat, that’s terrifying. My goal starting in this role is to try to at least have people as prepared as they can be to just walk in there and own the room.” 

Case workers often deal with sensitive topics such as domestic violence cases where charges legally must be pursued, death, and other traumatic events that the RCMP may respond to. Merritt Victim Services offers a number of resources to support the victims of crime throughout their experience with the justice system, and often go above and beyond to meet the needs of clients. 

To access Merritt Victim Services, call the office at 250-378-5699 between 8:30am and 4:30pm, from Monday to Friday.