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Witness Charter consultation responses

Government publishes responses to Witness Charter consultation

04 Jul 2006

The Government is today publishing a summary of responses to a public consultation and its proposed way forward for a new Witness Charter. The proposed Witness Charter sets out the standards of service which all non-expert witnesses can expect to receive at every stage of the criminal justice process, from the moment they report a crime or incident, through the investigative stage to attending court and giving evidence and post-trial support.

The consultation period ran from 28 November 2005 to 28 February 2006 and a total of 85 responses were received from a variety of interested groups and stakeholders, including Local Criminal Justice Boards, police forces, courts and former witnesses. The key organisations that responded included the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Council of Her Majesty's Circuit Judges, the Criminal Bar Association, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Justices' Clerks' Society, the Law Society and Victim Support. The views of defence practitioners and former witnesses were sought through a series of focus groups that were held during the consultation period. The Government is grateful to all the respondents to the consultation and is pleased that most welcomed the proposed standards as a holistic approach to supporting witnesses through the criminal justice system.

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