Serious Crime Module - Witness Management Flashcards
What strategies can be used to identify witnesses?
- Viewing CCTV
- Media releases and appeals
- Area canvass
- Interviews with victims and other witnesses
- Suspect interviews
- Anniversary appeals
- Road check points
What should be considered as part of the initial enquiries to use strategies to identify witnesses?
- Place where the victim was last seen alive
- Place where initial contact with suspect took place
- Place where victim was assaulted
- Murder site
- Body deposition site
Regarding recordings, what process should be followed to obtain these from a witness?
- Obtain informed consent to hand the device to police so the recording can be safely downloaded
- Organise for a suitably qualified technician to visit the witness to download the material when the recording device isn’t readily available
- Consider invoking a warrantless search to seize the recording as evidence
What information might be gained from a prompt, preliminary interview?
- Early identification or arrest of a suspect
- Recovery of evidence or information relevant to the offence
- Prevention of the imminent disposal or destruction of evidence connected to the investigation
- Prevention of the commission of other offences
What are some examples of providing a witness alternative ways of giving evidence?
- Giving evidence from behind a screen
- Giving evidence from an appropriate place outside the courtroom
- Giving evidence in chief by way of a video recording
Who should interview adult witnesses who are considered investigatively important?
- An accredited level 3 specialist adult witness interviewer
- An accredited level 2 advanced interviewer where no level 3 interviewer is available
Who should interview witnesses in serious and complex crime investigations (who are not considered investigatively important)?
- An accredited level 2 advanced interviewer
Who should interview children or any person suffering from an intellectual impairment?
- A forensic child interviewer
What does a witness interview plan normally cover?
- The time and location of the interview
- The amount of information to be disclosed to the interviewer
- Setting interview objectives
- Supporting the interview, for example, employing an interview monitor
- The structure of the interview, i.e., whether the interview will be recorded on video, audio, or written
What is involved in the debrief phase of a witness interview?
- Debriefing the interviewers
- Identifying any need for supplementary interviews
- The assessment of any risk to the witness and identification of any associated steps required to ensure their ongoing support and safety
Through Victim Support, what financial support is available for victims of serious crime?
- A discretionary grant of up to $1500 for families of homicide victims
- Free counselling for families of murder and manslaughter victims. Initially six hours are approved with the option to increase to 15 hours and up to a maximum of 30 hours.
What is the FLO responsible for regarding witnesses?
- Maintaining contact: ensuring the victim’s NOK are regularly updated of the progress by both the enquiry and Court proceedings
What is the OC Witnesses responsible for?
- Ensuring court attendance
- Court proceedings
- Witness intimidation
- Witness order
- Witness media interest letters
- Interpreter issues
- Welfare issues
- Witness control
- Refreshing memory
- Arrange name suppression
- Expenses (in conjunction with the OC Investigation)
What is the File Manager responsible for?
Victim views: appropriate file documents are completed:
- Record of victim contact
- Victim impact statement
- Court Services Victim Referral
- Bail Opposition
- Victim request to be notified of bail etc.
Special measures
Who should provide evidence first in a trial?
OC Exhibits (so that subsequent witnesses can refer to exhibits/photographs etc.)
