Protecting the witnesses of crime

The Stirlands were shot dead in their bungalow

An IPCC report is investigating claims police failed to protect a couple they knew were in grave danger from a notorious crime family.

Joan and John Stirland were killed by hitmen in revenge for a murder carried out by her son.

It is claimed that police offered to put them on a witness protection programme with certain conditions - which the couple refused.

So how do police decide who to protect and how does the system work?

Essential evidence

People are placed on witness protection programmes if they have essential evidence which would threaten their lives if they testified in court.

They have become a vital tool for police trying to break down walls of silence in difficult cases.

The conviction of gangster Kenneth Noye for stabbing Stephen Cameron on a Kent sliproad was secured by a witness who then went into hiding.

And detectives investigating the shooting of 11-year-old Rhys Jones in Liverpool are offering protection to encourage reluctant witnesses to come forward.

They have fears, even when walking down the street, that they may be recognised by someone. Professor Nick Fyfe

It is estimated it costs police forces around £22million each year to implement the programmes.

Professor Nick Fyfe has a rare insight into the issue, having studied officers and people involved in Strathclyde's witness programme.

He says the overwhelming majority of the witnesses have some sort of criminal past - a study in the US showed over 80% on the programme had committed crime.

"The kinds of crimes we're talking about on this programme are the types that to have any real information you would have to be quite closely involved in the process," he explains.

Innocent bystanders who have stumbled across something are sometimes involved, but this is rare, he said.

Witnesses who police decide to use are assessed for their ability to meet the demands of the programme, including psychological analysis.

New identity

If they agree to the join the programme, police start the process of relocating them.

What happens depends on the situation of an individual and the threat they face, but usually involves new housing, health and education services and new identity documents.

One of the biggest myths about witness protection is that people are transported into a life of luxury.

Many people are grateful for a fresh start, Professor Fyfe says.

In fact, the aim is to set up a new life which is virtually identical to the old one, for example swapping a one-bedroom flat for a one-bedroom flat in another town.

Professor Fyfe says: "One thing police have to be careful about is that people don't materially benefit from going on witness protection."

Embarking on the programme commits the police to provide protection all of the time there is a threat, as long as the witness abides by rules and doesn't do anything which could compromise their identity.

But many witnesses still face a life of constant fear after giving evidence.

"A lot of them have continuing anxiety about being discovered and it is quite difficult for them to maintain normal day-to-day life," Professor Fyfe says.

'Anxieties'

"They have fears, even when walking down the street, that they may be recognised by someone.

"When the phone rings or a car pulls up in front of the house they have all sorts of anxieties."

Some struggle with the fact they can have very little contact with their past while others find having an invented background very hard to cope with.

But for others, it's a chance for a fresh start.

Professor Fyfe, who is director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, says: "A lot of people were very grateful for what the protection programme has done for them, it's given them the opportunity to change and rebuild their lives in a new community.

"It may be an enormous challenge but at least they have that opportunity."