Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 Explanatory Notes

Section 84: Transfer of responsibility to other protection provider

197.This section enables responsibility for the protection of a witness to pass from one protection provider to another in cases such as those where the protected person has relocated. It aims to improve current practice in such cases, where a police force would require its officers to travel long distances in order to continue protection arrangements. This provision would facilitate an agreement, whereby responsibility for such arrangements could be transferred to police officers in the new force area.

198.An agreement could include provision for the reimbursement of costs incurred (see subsection (2)). Subsection (3) confers powers on the second protection provider to vary or cancel the arrangements or to transfer the arrangements to a third protection provider. The transfer agreement must be recorded (subsection (4)).

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