WHEN investigating most crimes it isn’t hi-tech fingerprint, footprint, DNA and bullet tracing technology that brings a conviction, it’s good, old-fashioned eye-witness accounts.

But imagine the police frustration when witnesses are too scared to come to court.

They may be too afraid to face the defendant or are worried about reprisals, but most people simply find the prospect of going to court very scary.

We dedicate many column inches of this newspaper to the goings on inside the courtroom, but there is a team of volunteers providing a fantastic service behind the scenes helping witnesses come to court, feel safe and give good evidence.

There are 15 Witness Service volunteers working at Worcester Magistrates Court.

Karen Holgate, witness services manager, said: “For people who have never been in court before it can be quite daunting. We get a lot of police officers and community support officers coming to give evidence; some of them have done it lots of times before but for others it can be their first time.

“Everyone who has to come and give evidence is entitled to our support. It isn’t just the prosecution witnesses. We provide support for defence witnesses too; they don’t want to be here either.”

During my visit there were two volunteers, both of whom are retired and have been working at Worcester for 11 years.

One of them said she decided to get involved following a presentation at her local community centre.

She said: “I enjoy it. Some of the witnesses are terrified and it’s nice to be able to help them.

“One of my witnesses the other day decided to run off. I’m happy to look after them while they are here, but I’m not going to chase them down the street!”

Today she is looking after three witnesses who are giving evidence in a racially aggravated harassment trial – two members of the public and a police officer.

The case did not go ahead as there was a mix-up and the defendant had not been brought from prison.

For someone who spends a lot of time in court (for work) it was fairly normal for me to be sitting waiting around with nothing happening. But for the witnesses, having someone there who can explain the reasons for a delay was greatly appreciated.

One of the witnesses, who did not want to be named, said: “The volunteers here provide a fantastic service. There is often a lot going on at court with people dashing around all over the place. It can be quite daunting.

“To have someone take you into your own room to have a cup of tea and a chat with makes the whole experience much easier.”

Ms Holgate said: “It can be quite interesting, but we don’t know all the details about each case and we are not allowed to talk to the witnesses about the case.

“Witnesses will usually ask, ‘What is going to happen? ‘Are they going to get sent down?’ “They often ask us questions, but we are just there to support them and keep them informed about what is going on.

“The process is quite structured, there are certain things we have to explain about confidentiality and health and safety but after that it is a case of seeing what we can do for them to help them feel better.

“The volunteers talk with them and try and pick up what their specific needs are.”

But it isn’t just in the court itself where witnesses are supported.

Ms Holgate explained: “There is a referral system in place so once the witnesses have gone through the court process they can be referred back to Victim Support to see if they need any further help.

“This is how the system works in the community.”

Ms Holgate said most of the volunteers at Worcester are retired and they would like to attract some younger people from more diverse backgrounds She said: “Most of our volunteers are retired and it gives them something to do.

“Some of the people at this court have been doing it since 1997. It is the sort of thing people do then stick with for a long time.

“We are starting to get some younger people. We have one who has just finished a degree at university and who is interested in doing some volunteer work. It looks good on your CV.

“It’s not just younger people we are looking for. Volunteers that can speak different languages would come in very handy!

“The minimum requirement is four days a month but after that the volunteers can do as much or as little as they want.

“Our volunteers do it because they want to help people; it’s the same reason why all volunteers want to get involved.”

Anyone interested in volunteering with the Witness Service can visit victimsupport.

com or call 01562 514041.