Victim and Witness rights
Wiltshire Police and our criminal justice partners are committed to giving you the best possible service at all times.
The Victims' Code of Practice
The statutory Victims' Code of Practice aims to:
- Ensure enhanced support for victims of the most serious crimes, persistently targeted victims or the most vulnerable/intimidated
- Provide extra support to victims of stalking, domestic abuse, terrorism and families bereaved by violent crime
- Ensure all victims are automatically referred to victims' service by the police so that all victims receive consistent and immediate access to support services
- Ensure all victims receive information about Restorative Justice (RJ) and how they can take part. RJ is the process of bringing together victims with those responsible for the harm, to find a positive way forward.
- Give victims a clearer means of redress if they are not given the support they deserve
- Have a section written for young people and their parents or guardians so they can understand and take ownership of their journey through the criminal justice system
- Help businesses, who are victims of 9.2 million crimes committed each year, to have their say by writing an impact statement to explain to the court how a crime has affected them.
Find out more about your rights as a victim of crime here
Find out more about Restorative Justice here
Witnesses
As a witness, you are helping to ensure that justice is done, if you know something about an incident you may be asked to give evidence in court for the prosecution or defence.
The Witness Charter sets out the basic standards of care you can expect if you are a witness to a crime or incident in England or Wales.
The witness charter covers both prosecution and defence witnesses and highlights the help and support you can expect at every stage of the process.
Victim and witnesses for the prosecution will be contacted by Horizon victim and witness care if they are required to attend court.
Key standards of care for witnesses:
- To have a single point of contact to keep you informed and updated
- To provide information and refer to relevant support agencies where required
- To have a needs assessment to identify if help is required to give evidence
- To receive special measure if either vulnerable or intimidated.
