Protecting witnesses of serious crime – Training manual for law enforcement and judiciary

Witnesses play a crucial role in the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of serious and organised crimes. A range of procedural and non-procedural protection measures is considered necessary to ensure that witnesses can testify freely and without intimidation, and that their life and that of their relatives and other persons close to them is protected before, during and after trial. This manual will be a valuable tool for law-enforcement officials, judges and prosecutors with responsibilities in relation to the protection of witnesses and victims, as well as for trainers and trainees for both teaching and research purposes. The publication includes recently adopted Council of Europe and other standards in this field. Furthermore it contains a compendium of national laws and practices in the countries which participated in the joint Council of Europe and European Commission CARPO regional police project from 2004 to 2006.