Guidance

So what can we do when we witness street violence?  How do we find the right officer if we decide to tell the police what we saw?  And what happens next?

In this section (please use the drop down menu on the left) we set out some practical tips that we think you would want others to take if you were the victim of a mindless attack.  While the police often give the message ‘leave it to us’, the fact is the police aren’t everywhere and so by the time they arrive, the damage has often been done and the attackers have made off.  With over 80% of attackers not even apprehended, we all pay a heavy price if we continue to walk on by.

Until now the criminal justice system has only recognised as a witness those people who make a formal statement to the police or defence solicitors.  In this section we also include tips on how we can make it less of an ordeal if we do make a statement and less of a trial if we do end up going to court. 

We also provide links to official documents and films about being a witness.

Please let us know how you think this Guidance can be improved.  It will also help if you can tell us if any of external documents or pages we link to are moved or amended.  Thanks.