Why?

To be safe, to feel safe
How would you feel if a complete stranger attacked you and nobody who saw it came to help or called the police?  What if it was your partner, parent or child?  If we don’t stand up, how confident can we be that anyone else will or should?

To reclaim our communities?
If we walk on by when we see street violence, what signal does that send thugs?  The smart ones will realise that our silence means they can pretty much act with impunity – as without our engagement, they won’t be caught; and without our evidence, they won’t be convicted.  And the less thoughtful ones will assume that most of us see nothing wrong in mugging people or beating up strangers.  Either way, they’ll view street violence as part of a game they are playing with the police and the criminal justice system, a source of easy money or a means to some sad and perverted sense of status.  If we remain silent in the face of this, how do you think it's going to get any better?  

To cut the hassle
For sure, these days it can be a bit of a hassle being a witness but it's much better than many people assume.  Following the tips in our Guidance section on how to best approach the process will help reduce the hassle.  Only be by drawing on your experiences will we be able to go further through our Policy and IT programmes - to help ensure that the criminal justice system cuts the hassle down to a minimum and starts engaging with witnesses in a practical way. 

To brighten up a policeman’s life
If you spent your working hours responding to crimes and dealing with distraught victims, you could likely end up with a jaundiced view of life.  And that’s before the paperwork to fill in, the targets to chase and the hours to wait at court.  Is it such a surprise some officers want to reclaim their life force by racing around town with their sirens blaring?  By acting as a good citizen and deterring street crime, you will help police officers see the better side of life.  And when they do, you will influence the way they approach their job and relate to you and the community they’re here to serve. 

To dispel myth, risk and reprisal
If the Government had spent more time instilling a sense of fear in muggers and thugs about what would happen to them, the levels of street violence would be far lower.  In our view, too much time has been spent talking about the risk of witness intimidation - the risk for a witness to street violence is incredibly low – the attacker is a stranger, he does not know where you live and he will not be given your address even if you do make a statement.  Even if you were to end up going to court and had genuine fears about reprisal, the court can take a number of steps to prevent you being recognised.  But more importantly, if it’s not just the odd solitary person who engages as a witness but several of us, that very low risk of reprisal diminishes to a tiny speck.

To convict the guilty and uphold justice
One of the main reasons people say they won’t engage is because the mugger or attacker will get off anyway.  The fact is that one of the main reasons that muggers and attackers get off is because people won’t engage as witnesses and there isn't the evidence.  Just as importanly, witness evidence can be as vital to help acquit the innocent as it is to convict the guilty.

To feel great
Bearing witness should be one of the most empowering things any of us will do.  And there’s no reason why we should allow others make it into an unwelcome chore and a source of anxiety.

So
In all of this, each of us has a choice.  We can wait for the powers that be and the various interests to accept that something ought to be done and then grant us privileges impose on us new obligations.  Or we can decide to make a difference ourselves, starting now by asserting the basic human instinct that most of us have to do good.  And if we make the move, the system will respond to us and the public will inform that response.  Now you know what you can achieve if you do get involved, what's stopping you?