Twenty-five per cent of victims of violence go to the police. About a third of the victims of property crime go to the police, so the police definitely have a role. They're at the front end. I didn't say that they were to provide the service; I said that they were to provide the information and the referral—both things—to services that can help them. It's very hard for victims to find out about those services without going to the police. Victims have probably heard of sexual assault crisis centres and they may have heard of transition houses, but they probably haven't heard of the other general services that are available, and they don't know how to get in touch with them. I strongly believe that it's a basic role that the police can play.
For those people who want to see the offender prosecuted—and property crime victims don't always want that—if you're going to the police because you want prosecution and not just insurance, then it's really important that you be given information and that you then have somebody to support you with the police and with the prosecutor.
One of the previous members of the committee raised the issue of bail in the negotiation of charges. Victims need support through all those stages.
Yes, parole is very important, but for the vast majority of victims, they never get to the parole stage.