SOLICITOR General Harriet Harman MP visited Wiltshire yesterday to launch the county's new Witness Care Unit which will support witnesses and victims through court cases.

She said the days when those being prosecuted could intimidate witnesses and victims while waiting to go into court would soon be a thing of the past.

Mrs Harman was speaking at a press conference organised by Wiltshire's Crown Prosecution Service just days before the new initiative is launched.

She praised Wiltshire courts saying they are some of the most effective in the country for dealing with cases.

Mrs Harman, who was visiting Wiltshire for the third time as Solicitor General, said: "Witnesses have a responsibility as good citizens to give evidence at court, but they also have a right to support, protection and information.

"It will mean a better deal for witnesses, who will get the support and information they need, a better deal for the criminal justice system, which will have more witnesses engaging with the system and appearing at court, and a better deal for the public as more offenders are brought to justice.

"It's putting victims and witnesses at the heart of the legal system."

Mrs Harman said new facilities would provide suites for witnesses and victims.

She said: "It used to be the case that everybody was expected to find their way to the local magistrates court and they would sit down together.

"No-one said what was going on to the victims or witnesses. You did not know where to go and you were beady eyed by the defendant and his six brothers.

"That was the situation for years and this is not how we should operate.

People will not come forward and be witnesses if they feel fearful about it.

"What it will mean is a big change for not only people working in the Crown Prosecution Service and police, but we have also had a look to see how court buildings are arranged."

Mrs Harman said Wiltshire had a great record in not adjourning trials. It was a main complaint from witnesses that they turned up for trials and then were not needed.

"The percentage of trials that don't go ahead is one of the lowest in the country, if not the lowest, with 15.5 per cent in magistrates court and nine per cent in Crown Court," she said.

The new service, due to start on February 1, is to offer a single point of contact for victims and witnesses as well as an initial needs assessment to identify specific support requirements such as child care, transport, language difficulties and medical issues, and to highlight areas of concern, including intimidation.

The scheme will also allocate a witness care officer to steer individuals through the criminal justice process and to co-ordinate support to enable more witnesses to give evidence in court, together with a continuous review of the victim and witness needs and updates throughout the process.

Mrs Harman did acknowledge that getting to court can be a problem for some and said this could now be improved.

She said: "You need the right court buildings and everyone working together and a system which perhaps means getting people to court.

"When people are all over the county it's always going to be an issue getting them to court.

"It's really important that people report crimes and if they do it's really important they do turn up to give evidence." However, she played down fears that the Witness Care Unit will impact on voluntary services such as Victim Support.

Mrs Harman said she would be thanking the police for their hard work in bringing persistent young offenders to court.

She said anti social behaviour orders were a good way of dealing with the problems.

"I think the orders, especially in relation to younger people, are part of a whole range of options. An ASBO is simply one of the means that the agencies in Wiltshire deal with anti social behaviour and things such as littering and even going in to prostitution."