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Your Right to Protection
Following a crime, various forms of protection are available to victims, witnesses and their families.
Where there is victim or witness intimidation or a history of repeated offences, the police can decide to provide protection through provision of panic alarms, mobile phones, telephone link lines from your home direct to the police station, increased police patrols or 24 hour surveillance. In extreme cases they can provide protective custody, short or long term relocation or even a change of identity.
There are a number of recommendations in ‘Speaking up for Justice’ - the Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Treatment of Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses in the Criminal Justice System published by the Home Office in June 1998. These relate to protection for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses including developing protocols regarding witness intimidation and witness protection, the use of bail conditions and ensuring witnesses know of these, the installation of panic alarms, security lighting or home-based CCTV and the opportunity for a temporary or permanent housing transfer.
Where there is victim or witness intimidation or a history of repeated offences, the police can decide to provide protection through provision of panic alarms, mobile phones, telephone link lines from your home direct to the police station, increased police patrols or 24 hour surveillance. In extreme cases they can provide protective custody, short or long term relocation or even a change of identity.
There are a number of recommendations in ‘Speaking up for Justice’ - the Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Treatment of Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses in the Criminal Justice System published by the Home Office in June 1998. These relate to protection for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses including developing protocols regarding witness intimidation and witness protection, the use of bail conditions and ensuring witnesses know of these, the installation of panic alarms, security lighting or home-based CCTV and the opportunity for a temporary or permanent housing transfer.
