Crime victims are given help finding compensation and counselling

Victim Support's 11,000 volunteers give more than two million hours every year.

Every �1 it spends on supporting and training volunteers produces help for victims worth five times as much, the Home Office funded study indicates.

Commissioned by Victim Support, the study looked at staff and volunteers working in six of its member charities.

Chief executive Dame Helen Reeves said it "makes it crystal clear... Victim Support's services are huge value for money".

"The credit lies with our volunteers, who work so hard to support people in their own community whose lives have been touched by crime."

Getting involved in Victim Support is both valuable and a hugely effective way of helping others in need Chief executive Dame Helen Reeves Helping is 'best reward'

"Whatever the economic value, we know the benefit to individual victims is often priceless."

The charity's annual grant from the Home Office is �27m.

But Dame Helen said: "Raising sufficient funds to do all the work we need to do remains a challenge, as does recruiting new volunteers."

"This report should convince all our supporters, and prospective volunteers, that getting involved in Victim Support is both valuable and a hugely effective way of helping others in need," she added.