Ottawa (Canadian Press) — A former RCMP officer says life in the federal witness protection program can be so difficult he wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy.
Geoff Frisby told the Air India inquiry the psychological strain of assuming a new identity and a new lifestyle can be even greater for members of ethnic or religious minorities.
For some people, the outward symbols of identity — such as the turbans and beards worn by orthodox Sikh males — can be at odds with police efforts to ensure anonymity.
The result may be that they refuse to join the program. But Frisby said there’s little police can do in such circumstances except explain the situation and let people make their own decisions.
The inquiry, under former Supreme Court justice John Major, is examining witness protection as part of its review of the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 that took 329 lives.
Previous evidence has indicated relations were rocky between the RCMP and at least one witness, identified only as Ms. E, who feared for her life if she testified against those accused of the attack.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Bill // Nov 1, 2007 at 13:45
Is it that police don’t care after they get waht they want and so the axe falls on the witness instead of the police force. They are something else.
2 Brent // Nov 2, 2007 at 23:10
Use your head Bill, if the cops and the govt’ do not protect witnesses, who will come forward ever again? I don’t see one disgruntled person as indicative of the way everyone is treated. There must be thousands every year who assist the authorities.
3 Above the Law // Nov 3, 2007 at 13:36
and probably get burn’t too - police want the pay but not the responsibility for the outcome so make it hard on their witnesses, just look at the former Premier and his 300,000 dollar deal. Just one more bad deal I guess for the people and another good deal for the police.
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