Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by John Robertson (Labour). It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 June 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Witness Protection

Question: What support is given to victims of and witnesses to crime to protect them from fear and intimidation in giving evidence.

Answer: A range of measures are available to support witnesses, including police protection programmes and a number of special measures to help intimidated witnesses give their best evidence in court. Those measures include screens round the witness box and the ability to give evidence by a live link from a different location, or in private. We are working to strengthen and improve those arrangements, particularly in gang-related gun and knife crime cases, to ensure that witnesses can give their evidence safely and without fear of reprisals.

Secondary information