Avon & Somerset’s first Witness Care Unit, jointly staffed by the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, has opened in Bristol.
The new unit aims to increase victim and witness satisfaction with the criminal justice system and improve trial outcomes by increasing victim and witness attendance at court.
The new Witness Care Unit will carry out victim and witness needs assessments to identify problems which could prevent victims and witnesses from giving evidence, such as child care or transport problems, language difficulties, disabilities or concerns about intimidation. Witness Care Officers will co-ordinate the support and services provided to victims and witnesses and keep them informed throughout each case.
The opening of the new unit is part of the No Witness, No Justice project, which will see Witness Care Units opening in all areas of England and Wales during 2005. An independent evaluation report on five pilot areas which already have Witness Care Units- Essex, Gwent, South Yorkshire, North Wales and West Midlands – found they had increased witness attendance rates by nearly 20 per cent and reduced by 27 per cent the number of trials which had to be adjourned to a later date as a result of witness difficulties.
The evaluation report also noted a 17 percent drop in cracked trials where the witness withdrew their statement or didn’t attend. These cases would probably have failed on the day a trial was due to start had the witnesses not turned up.
What they say
Commenting on the opening of the new unit, David Archer Chief Crown Prosecutor for Avon & Somerset said: “No Witness, No Justice has the potential to transform the experiences of victims and witnesses in Avon & Somerset. The pilot units have achieved a great deal in a short time; increasing victim and witness attendance at court, improving trial outcomes and increasing victim and witness satisfaction as a whole. The project is an important element in the new ‘prosecution team’ approach, with prosecutors and police working together from the very beginning of a case to make sure key elements are in place, such as the right charge and good witness support, so that the case can proceed more smoothly once it reaches court.”
