Going back to an earlier point, there is very little independent research in this area. The research that we did in Scotland was commissioned by the Scottish government. So they funded it and they then negotiated access for us to the police officers on the protection program, and then those officers facilitated access for us to witnesses who were protected, so that we could actually interview those witnesses in secure settings and get their story about their experiences of being on these protection programs.
Certainly, to my knowledge, I think that was the first and still the only independent piece of research that looked at both sides of the picture. It looked at the challenges and stresses the police service was under in terms of trying to protect these witnesses—and I think it's important not to underestimate that, that the officers who are working on these programs are under huge stress and there are all sorts of issues around the training of those officers and the support for those officers—but at the same time, by interviewing relocated witnesses and their families, you get an insight into just how disruptive and how difficult it is for these people to rebuild their lives and why some of them simply cannot cope with the pressures of the program and therefore return to their home areas.
I suppose I would say this because I'm involved in research, but I think it is an area that is crying out for more independent research that can look at the whole process and all the different agencies involved.
One of the other things we looked at was the role of housing associations that were trying to find homes for these witnesses. We talked to people from benefits offices and from health authorities, because there is a whole range of other agencies that are also required to supply information and help with the relocation process. Again, it puts big pressures on those other agencies, non-law enforcement agencies, and there were concerns among people within housing authorities and health authorities about the risks they might be putting themselves at by being involved in this process.
So I really think there is a need for some kind of research that addresses that bigger context in terms of all the different individuals and agencies that are involved in the witness protection process.