February 2006 Even in countries where such provision does exist, research has shown that ethnic minorities, when they become victims of crime, have less access to such support and are less likely to benefit from it. This may be for a variety of reasons, including: the location of such provision, lack of awareness of (or confidence in) such services among minorities, and the lack of sensitivity of service-providers to cultural diversity or lack of ability to communicate in minority languages. The responsibility for victim support does not lie exclusively or even mainly with the police, but with the state generally. States need to establish national structures that are capable of delivering victim support services locally and services that are accessible to and appropriate for the needs of all ethnic groups. Victim Support organizations need to be fully independent of public authorities (and seen to be independent), while also co-operating closely with them. Maximum use should be made of civil society participation, and involvement of NGOs. However, the police have a crucial role to play in providing support for victims, and it is also very much in the interest of the effectiveness of policing that they carry out this role. Police are frequently the first point of contact with public authorities for victims of crime, who may at this stage be emotionally distressed, physically injured, unaware of their rights, and in urgent need of advice and support. As well as carrying out their duties with regard to the criminal law, police need to be able to provide emergency support, and then direct victims to other appropriate sources. It is essential that police perform these immediate victim support tasks effectively, both for the safety of the victim and in order to maintain the victim's confidence in the police. Police need to maintain this confidence so that victims will be willing to provide information for the investigation of their case, and also be willing to testify in court. For these reasons it is essential that police keep victims informed about the progress of their investigations. Police may also need to provide victims with protection in cases where there is a threat to their safety following the crime or due to their willingness to report it to the police. Police need to make sure that minorities, as well as the majority, have confidence in their support and protection when they become victims of crime. Where there has been a history of conflict or lack of trust between minorities and police, it is important for police to take active steps to overcome this potential barrier. Police should pay special attention to the need to ensure support and protection for victims in cases of crime or violence motivated by ethnic hatred. Such cases frequently involve 'repeat victimisation', or even retaliation and ongoing exchanges of threats and acts of ^"