Giving a witness statement

A police officer will ask you questions and write down what you say. Afterwards, they will ask you to check and sign it with your name.

By signing a witness statement you are saying that you agree that it is a true account of your experience and it may be used as evidence in court. Here is an example of a typical witness statement layout.

If you are the victim of a crime, you can provide a victim’s personal statement as well as a witness statement. This gives you the opportunity to say how the crime has affected you physically, emotionally or financially, depending on the type of offence you experienced. The statement can be made at the same time as your witness statement and can be added to at any point before the court hearing.