Witness protection

[Dirtydancing1]

Was just watching a police programme on tv, on the episode they said they would put someone in witness protection.
It got me thinking out of curiosity, how far do they send these people away so no one will recognise them, can they ever have contact with any family again?
have you ever met anyone and suspected they maybe in witness protection

Are you an organised crime boss trying to sniff out people who have testified against you? 😂

I’m intrigued by it as well. Do they ever send the individuals abroad? In this day and age of social media, it must be incredibly difficult to remain truly anonymous.

It's vanishingly rare , younger gang members and families are sometimes moved out of borough but it's not witness protection as they kept their identity

😂 oh no you have caught me out

That’s why I was curious as surely it must be really difficult these days to keep someone’s identity secret as social media is everywhere, you could end up online without realising

A guy who died in Wales during COVID turned out to be a major witness against various US mob types in the 1970s/80s. Helped put dozens of criminals away. Wales is probably a really good place to hide as many Americans have never heard of it!

In my profession I deal with someone who is in witness protection. I'm not sure if it's extreme as new identity, new name type of witness protection, or was just moved to different social housing away from the area. They're not really the age to be on social media so they wouldn't be a big risk, and live with a younger adult relative who was moved with them but wasn't the subject of witness protection.

It's on their records that they've been relocated under witness protection but I'm not aware of us knowing previous details so I have no idea if it's a new name. We're notified so we're extra aware of the need for confidentially, but there's no other cloak and dagger-ness about it. Which I suppose there shouldn't be, because this a fresh start for them so I'm theory no need for it.

They're in a big but quiet town about 20 miles away from their previous big city.

If you’re in witness protection and go on social media, you deserve a Darwin award.

I have met someone in witness protection, they had been moved to the midlands from London. I found out because they were drunk! This person didn’t have close family and so had a new life in the midlands, I don’t know their birth name just that it’s the same initial first name. This was due to gun crime but I don’t know more (and wouldn’t say here of course if I did). I’ve since moved away and I’ve heard that they messed up and got involved with people they shouldn’t have and have been moved again

Didn’t the daughter from the Salisbury poisonings go to New Zealand?

Witness protection was only recently introduced in Ireland and is only used in incredibly severe cases. Officially, they are sent to either Australia or Canada, but there may be other, unannounced, countries used.

Im pretty much of grid with people.

@LoopyLoo1991 Americans have heard of Wales. Many of us can find it on a map and some of us have even been there.

My dh worked for a union and one of his members was in the Canadian witness protection program. They found out because the RCMP had made a mistake and given the guy the same social insurance number as a living person. He was originally from the east coast but now living in Vancouver.

It's an old YouTube 'What is the dumbest thing an American has ever said to you reference'. Welsh girl meets an American couple in Australia. They tell her they are from such & such State, but get offended when she says she's from Wales. They claim it's not a place. She says 'what about the Prince of Wales then ?' Supremely confident in their correctness the reply 'oh he's the Prince of WHALES - the sea mammals'. The Welsh girl was speechless ... 🤦

@LoopyLoo1991 😂😂😂

Rumours that the US uses their small exclave Point Roberts, as you need to pass US and Canadian border control to get there. No idea if true but makes sense!

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Roberts,_Washington

The partner of Stephen Cameron stabbed by Kenneth Noye is/was in witness protection

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-48367089

There was a 'dramatised account as well

The new accomodation depends on local housing stock in the new area and it is probably substandard

No contacting family, friends or former colleagues, trying to 'make it' in a new place where no one knows you and have no history or references, must be hard