'Cops not observing rules of Witness Protection Programme'

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POLICE Commissioner Owen Ellington yesterday lambasted members of the constabulary for their tardy handling of the Witness Protection Programme. Ellington was harshly critical of the cops under his command in this week's Force Orders, released to the media yesterday.

"It has been observed that the procedures and guidelines governing the operations of the Witness Protection Programme, as set out in the previous publication, are not being properly followed. This has resulted in delays in the processing of witnesses waiting to be placed on the programme as well as to the programme itself," Ellington said.

At the same time, he reminded divisional commanders that applications for the programme must be delivered by hand to the Justice Support Unit of the Criminal Investigation Branch by the divisions' crime officers.

The programme came on stream in November 2001 to offer protection or assistance to witnesses whose lives have been threatened before, during or after a trial.

Persons are placed under the programme if police investigators determine that they are at risk of being killed or intimidated by a defendant or his associates.

The Justice Support Unit was established in May 2009 and acts as the link between the constabulary, the Justice Protection Unit (JPU), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The unit is located at the offices of the Criminal Investigation Branch at Oxford Road in Kingston and has the responsibility to co-ordinate all activities leading up to a participant's admission to the Witness Protection Programme. It is mandated to ensure that concerns of witnesses are swiftly communicated to the JPU and that persons who refuse to access the Witness Protection Programme or who do not qualify receive the necessary guidance and support.