Disabled people are significantly more likely to become victims of crime than those without disabilities. Despite research showing fear of crime to be a major negative influence on the way they live their lives, disabled people's needs and views are all too often overlooked when it comes to preventing and tackling crime.

Many disabled people are effectively excluded from being able to seek the support and ultimately the justice they deserve simply because of a lack of information. Easily accessible advice on crime prevention is urgently needed. This might include tips on personal safety or on how to secure a home. It needs to be available as widely as possible and in formats including audio and Braille.

Similarly, information on processes and procedures would help disabled people deal with our notoriously complicated criminal justice system. While the system is problematic for many able-bodied victims of crime, it is considerably more so for disabled people, if only because procedures rarely make concessions for disability. For example, blind and partially sighted people have difficulty in persuading authorities of their reliability as witnesses. Wheelchair-users cannot give a statement at a police station if there is no wheelchair access. The reliance by criminal justice authorities on the written word unwittingly discriminates against people with sight impairments or learning difficulties.

Better training for police and community safety officers in working with disabled people would be welcome. Making crime reporting procedures more accessible would improve confidence in reporting crime.

Disabled people are often targeted simply because they are disabled.Such crimes should be regarded in the same way as racially motivated offences or offences targeting gay or lesbian people. If disability was added to the overall hate crime agenda, this would mean more resources allocated to reducing and preventing such crimes and would send a strong message out to the perpetrators. Crimes against disabled people are presently not recorded as such. They should be.

What is most lacking is dialogue. Disabled people or groups representing them are rarely consulted about crime-related issues either by police or community safety partnerships. This must change if there is to be any chance of disabled people enjoying the same right as anyone else to be safe from victimisation.

Samantha Cunningham is programme development officer in rehabilitation agency Nacro's crime and social policy section.