VULNERABLE witnesses to crime will now be able to prerecord their evidence when testifying in Cheshire courts - thanks to a grant of £65,000.
The money - a Government grant from the Video Facilities Fund - will provide a recording suite for witnesses to tape their account of events, and allows Cheshire police to record more inter-views.
Now officers hope the facilities will ease the process of giving evidence for the most vulnerable witnesses.
Peter Fahy, chief constable for Cheshire Constabulary, said: 'Ensuring the best care and treatment of all witnesses is always a priority for us. Vulnerable or intimidated witnesses may sometimes be the victim of the crime committed. Having to testify in public may prove too distressing and subsequently we may not gain the best possible evidence. These facilities help us to secure a more robust outcome to justice proceedings.'
He added that the equipment had already been earmarked for Warrington and Crewe - with Halton witnesses being able to use the equipment at Warrington - and that the grant was in addition to the recent premises improvement fund money which the police authority has allocated to provide new facilities at Widnes, Wilmslow and Northwich.
Barry Hughes, chief prosecutor for Cheshire, said: 'CPS Cheshire is continuing to work closely with Cheshire Constabulary and others to implement a better service for vulnerable witnesses.
'The provision of further video suite facilities in Cheshire will increase the availability to eligible witnesses, both vulnerable and intimidated, of the special arrangements which Parliament has provided in the last 18 months.
'We hope that the service that can be offered to victims and witnesses by the criminal justice system in Cheshire will prove to be valuable to the community.'
