Anonymous witnesses ‘vital’ say police chiefs at Liverpool conference

Jun 25 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

KEY political figures and police chiefs used a high- profile conference in Liverpool to join the debate surrounding anonymous witnesses.

Yesterday, a £6m murder trial at the Old Bailey in London was halted following a ruling from the Law Lords last week that defendants had a right to know the identity of those testifying against them.

Some of the country’s highest ranking officers gathered yesterday at the BT Convention Centre, at the Kings Dock, for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) annual conference.

Association of Police Authorities chairman Bob Jones, president of ACPO, Ken Jones, and Merseyside’s Chief Constable, Bernard Hogan-Howe, began proceedings.

Policing, many of the speakers agreed, is at a crossroads and several delegates spoke at length about how to meet the challenges they now face. And Home Secretary Jacqui Smith delivered a keynote speech outlining plans to allow the general public a chance to vote directly for members of police authorities.

If introduced, it would be the first time voters would be able to directly influence the governance of the police.

But overshadowing these announcements was the looming fear that the use of anonymous witnesses in the law courts could be abandoned thanks to the recent House of Lords ruling.

High ranking police officers and prosecutors want the use of anonymous witnesses to be given a legal status before Parliament rises for the summer recess.

If a Bill is not passed within the next 28 days, courts could face a deluge of appeals at a potentially huge cost to the taxpayer.

Ken Jones, who opened the conference yesterday, has said anonymity had become a vital tool in difficult prosecutions.

“Anonymity has been used in a tiny, tiny minority of cases and the fundamental principle that you are entitled to hear from your accuser has not been breached,” he said.

“These powers are used only in rare and exceptional circumstances – the judiciary have supported them for a long time and there are rigorous checks and balances.”

Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service has asked all prosecutors to seek an adjournment on all cases using anonymous witnesses to assess the implications of the ruling. The number of cases potentially at risk is yet not known.

Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, the Home Secretary said she shared the frustration of the police.

But she refused to confirm if an emergency Bill would be necessary to rescue the use of anonymous witness.

She said: “This is something we are looking at very urgently including, if necessary, looking at whether we can change the law.

“I certainly accept, and I said some time ago, that there is a problem here that we need to solve.”

Police believe up to 40 people convicted of serious crimes in London alone could walk free if witnesses refuse to reveal their names in a retrial.

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