Victims and Witnesses
Someone who is a victim of crime should call 911 on the telephone right away. The police should be told exactly what happened. The victim will be called to give evidence in court when the accused goes on trial. First, the victim will swear or affirm to tell the truth in court. (If you affirm to tell the truth, it means that you promise to tell the truth.) The judge will want to know what happened to the victim. Crown prosecutors will ask the victim questions in court, and the accused’s lawyer will also ask questions. Get more information at www.VictimsInfo.ca.
If a victim would rather not talk to the police, he or she can contact VictimLink BC. This is a free, confidential, multilingual telephone service in BC. It is open 24 hours every day. The victim will be given information about what to do. Support is given to victims of family and sexual violence.
Witnesses to crimes should call 911. The police will talk to the witnesses and they will probably be called to court when the accused goes to trial. To report a crime that happened earlier, a witness can telephone the police or go to a police station. Anyone can report a crime anonymously (without identifying yourself) by contacting Crime Stoppers on the Internet.