123 lines
7.1 KiB
XML
Executable File
123 lines
7.1 KiB
XML
Executable File
<?xml version="1.0"?>
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<cms:item xmlns:cms="http://www.arsdigita.com/cms/1.0" xmlns="http://www.esd.org.uk/standards/esdbody" oid="[com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.ESDService:{id=688}]"><cms:name>witness-support-688</cms:name><cms:language>en</cms:language><cms:title>Witness Support</cms:title><cms:dublinCore oid="[com.arsdigita.london.cms.dublin.DublinCoreItem:{id=688}]"><cms:name>witness-support-688-dublin-metadata</cms:name><cms:dcAudience>General Public</cms:dcAudience><cms:dcCoverage>content="99XX" scheme="ONS SNAC"</cms:dcCoverage><cms:dcCoveragePostcode/><cms:dcCoverageSpatialRef/><cms:dcCoverageUnit/><cms:dcDateValid/><cms:dcDisposalReview/><cms:dcLanguage>en</cms:dcLanguage><cms:dcTemporalBegin/><cms:dcTemporalEnd/><cms:dcCreatorOwner>LAWS Project - Starter Kit - http://www.laws-project.org.uk</cms:dcCreatorOwner><cms:dcCreatorContact>LAWS Project - Starter Kit - http://www.laws-project.org.uk</cms:dcCreatorContact><cms:dcPublisher>Tameside MBC - LAWS project - http://laws.tameside.gov.uk</cms:dcPublisher><cms:dcRights/><cms:dcKeywords>witness, support</cms:dcKeywords></cms:dublinCore><cms:textAsset oid="[com.arsdigita.cms.TextAsset:{id=688}]"><cms:content><![CDATA[<h2>Miscellaneous</h2><span class="gen">email address here</span><span class="gen">phone number here</span><span class="gen">sms phone number here</span><span class="gen">fax number here</span><span class="gen">minicom number here</span><p><i>If you report a crime to the police you can expect:</i></p><hr/><ul>
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<li title="*">the police to investigate
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the crime; </li>
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<li title="*">in most cases, to be
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contacted by Victim Support - unless you ask the police not to pass
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on your details;<strong>*</strong>
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</li>
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<li title="*">to be told by the police
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if someone is charged with, or cautioned for, the offence; </li>
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<li title="*">to be told (if you
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ask to be) by the police or the Crown Prosecution Service if the charge
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is later dropped or downgraded; </li>
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<li title="*">if you are needed as
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a witness, to be given a 'Witness in Court' leaflet, and told the date
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of the trial; </li>
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<li title="*">if the case goes to
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court, consideration to be given to making a compensation order in
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your favour;</li>
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<li title="*">to be told (if you
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ask to be) the result of the court case; in more serious cases, to
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be told (if you ask to be) the result of any appeal against conviction
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or sentence;</li>
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<li title="*">to be given advice
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about applying for compensation for personal injury from the criminal
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Injuries Compensation Authority; and </li>
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<li title="*">to be given crime prevention
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advice if you ask for it.</li>
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</ul><p>
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<strong>* Not
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all categories of crime are routinely referred to Victim Support by the
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police</strong>
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</p><p>To
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help make this possible, you should:</p><ul>
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<li title="*">report
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the crime to the police promptly;</li>
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<li title="*">give the police full
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details of your injury or loss;</li>
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<li title="*">tell the police if
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you want compensation;</li>
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<li title="*">tell the police if
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you fear for your (or your family's) safety;</li>
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<li title="*">tell the police if
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you do not want them to tell Victim Support or the press;</li>
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<li title="*">tell the police of
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any changes of address while the case remains unresolved; and contact
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Victim Support directs if you want to.</li>
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</ul><h2>What Happens Next?</h2><p>The
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police will try to catch the criminal but they may not always succeed.
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If they do have a suspect, there may not be enough evidence to charge the
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person or, if the person is young or mentally disordered, and the offence
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is not too serious, the police may decide to caution him or her instead.
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In some cases the suspect may be facing more serious charges for other
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offences and may be prosecuted for those offences instead.
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</p><p>If
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the police decide to charge someone the case is taken over by the Crown
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Prosecution Service (CPS), an independent authority, which prosecutes in
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the name of the Queen. They decide whether there is enough evidence to
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provide a realistic prospect of conviction and whether prosecution would
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be in the public interest. The CPS does not act directly on behalf of individual
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victims or represent them in criminal proceedings, but it does carefully
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consider the interests of victims when deciding where the public interest
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lies.
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</p><h2>The Press</h2><p>The
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press can play an important role in tackling crime. For the purposes of
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investigating an offence, catching criminals or for crime prevention, the
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police may release details of a case to the press. If you are concerned
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about this happening, tell the police officer dealing with the case.
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</p><h2>Going to Court</h2><p>For
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the reasons mentioned above, many cases never reach court. Of those that
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do the great majority are dealt with by magistrates' courts. The most serious
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cases have to be sent to the Crown Court for trial by jury.
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</p><p>If
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your case goes to court and you are needed as a witness:
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</p><ul>
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<li title="*">You will
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be sent a copy of the leaflet 'Witness in Court' which will explain
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what is likely to happen.</li>
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<li title="*">You should let the
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police know if there are any days you could not manage to attend court
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- for instance, because of important job or professional commitments,
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or because you have a holiday booked. If possible, these dates will
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then be avoided although there may be times when the case has to go
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ahead even though this may not be convenient for individual witnesses. </li>
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<li title="*">The aim is that prosecution
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witnesses do not have to wait more than two hours before being called
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to give evidence.</li>
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<li title="*">Arrangements will be
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made to provide an interpreter if you are called to give evidence and
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are unable to give it in English. </li>
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<li title="*">If you are not needed
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as a witness the police will try to keep you informed about hearing
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dates ( there could be several such dates if, for example, cases are
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delayed or postponed). They will also try to keep you informed of the
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results of the cases. </li>
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</ul><h2>Victim Support</h2><p>Victim
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Support offer a free, confidential service to vistims of crime. Trained
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volunteers based in local schemes contact
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people following a crime to offer
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free, confidential support and information.
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</p><p>Victim Support is an independent national charity.
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</p><p>People
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are referred to Victim Support by the police and other organisations, or
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make direct contact themselves to ask for help.
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</p><p>Visit the <strong>
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<a href="http://natiasso03.uuhost.uk.uu.net/site_home.html">Victim
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Support</a>
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</strong> <span class="gen">link to external website</span> website
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for more information.</p><span class="gen">email address here</span><span class="gen">phone number here</span><span class="gen">sms phone number here</span><span class="gen">fax number here</span><span class="gen">minicom number here</span><span class="gen">postal address here</span><h3>
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<a href="/ccm/services/pid.jsp?pid=688"> Providing Information
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(688)
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</a></h3>]]></cms:content></cms:textAsset></cms:item>
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