Mounties to revamp witness protection
RESPONSE: Force to hire full-time psychologists
The RCMP is planning to bring on a handful of full-time psychologists into its witness-protection program to provide support to people who may be “struggling” to adapt to their new lives.
And in response to suggestions of conflict of interest, the force says it is moving to ensure that criminal investigators — who have an interest in maintaining the cooperation of witnesses — are also not involved in decisions about whether to grant them protection. The RCMP changes were announced Tuesday at a meeting of the House of Commons public safety committee. It is conducting a study of Bill C-51, which proposes a number of changes to the federal program.
The program, considered a key tool in the fight against organized crime and terrorism, provides new identities, relocation expenses and other support to witnesses, including job and education training.
Currently, there are about 1,000 people enrolled in the program, which has an annual budget of $9 million, the committee heard. Thirty people were added to the program during the last fiscal year.
However, the program has been the subject of lawsuits and formal complaints from protectees who say the program falls short.
RCMP officials told the committee Tuesday that the force is working to develop better case-management plans for protectees and their families as soon as they enter the program. By the end of the next fiscal year, the force expects to have five full-time psychologists working exclusively in the program.
“The end game of witness protection is to provide the necessary framework around these folks coming into this program to give them an opportunity to succeed in the program and hopefully integrate back into society in as short a period of time as possible,” said RCMP Insp. Greg Bowen, the officer in charge of witness protection operations.
“If you can deal with their social-psychological needs, it’s much easier to protect them. They’re happier, they’re more content.”
A new database is also being created to track the progress of individuals and monitor the services they’re provided, officials said.
Further, new measures will be in place by May of this year to ensure there is a clear separation between those involved in deciding who to admit for witness protection and those involved in the actual criminal investigation.