Victim and Witness Care volunteers needed

Wednesday 19 June 2019

A group of volunteers operating out of the Police Station are tasked with the sensitive job of keeping witnesses and victims up to date on court cases they are linked to on Guernsey.

And that group is now looking for more volunteers to get involved, to bring their team up to capacity.

The Witness Care Service helps to fill the gap in communication from the police to victims and witnesses after charges have been brought against a suspect in a case. Before charges are brought, Law Enforcement officers stay in contact with these people to help get statements from them, and communicate what is happening. But after charges are brought and the matter gets sent up to the law officers and the courts, that communication could be lost - that is where these volunteers come in.

The Witness Care Service operates out of the police station - it is a different group to the victim support team who are based inside the Royal Court building, and they serve different purposes.  

The provide updates, information and guidance to their contacts following each court hearing - letting them know what the next steps will be and answering any questions they may have. 

Paul Allen is one of the volunteers currently involved with the service, and he has been since it was set up in 2013. 

He said they work from the court sheets following larger hearings on Mondays and Thursdays, and then cross reference the information they have to the police database. 

"We let [victims and witnesses] know what is happening in court with the case they are linked to," he said.

"Whether that be what a person's bail conditions are, and whether they should be contacting them or not, or when they might need to appear to give evidence. We usually spend a couple of hours of our time going through the court sheets, and then looking through the police data base to see who might need to be updated and why.

"Let's say someone has been caught stealing and they get charged with the offence. The volunteers would then make contact with victims and witnesses and keep them up to date with matters that are going before the court." 

Pictured: Philip Falla and Paul Allen. 

Philip Falla, the manager of the Criminal Justice Unit, said they were looking for people with good communication skills, empathy, and the ability to be discreet to come and help. 

"It can be for how ever much time they can spend," he said, "the hours volunteers are needed are incredibly flexible. They get in touch with the witnesses via the telephone and do their best to give them as much information as they can. When a suspect has been charged, what they have pleaded and when and if they might come into play." 

if people do want to get involved, they will have to go through several levels of vetting and some training. But after that, they will have access to the police station and work hours in the office that suit them. 

Mr Falla said they would be able to arrange an interview with anyone who wanted to find out more, and from there, people could move into the application process. 

Mr Allen said he volunteered because it was something he could do to give back to community in his retirement, and encouraged others to get involved.

To find out more, contact Mr Falla on his email address at Philip.Falla@guernsey.pnn.police.uk. He can then set up a meeting to go through everything the role would entail. 

Pictured top: Mr Allen making a call to inform a witness of the latest with court proceedings surrounding their case.