Aylesbury Vale's Superintendent highlights importance of witness appeals
Mike Loebenberg has explained witnesses could mean information or footage
Aylesbury Vale's Superintendent has highlighted how important witness appeals can be in criminal incidents.
A common part of a police investigation will involve a witness appeal, and Thames Valley Police regularly share these.
Earlier this week they appealed for a potential witness in the murder investigation of canal worker Clive Porter.
Aylesbury Vale's Superintendent Mike Loebenberg explained the important role they play in some cases:
"To be a witness does not mean you have directly seen the crime with your own eyes but it can be various forms.
"When we seek witnesses we are seeking information.
"So that might be video footage from a mobile phone, a video door bell or something digital. It could be information that you've overheard.
"Sometimes we need witness to get the sequencing of an incident right and help us to identify other lines of enquiry.
"On occasion though witnesses are the key piece of evidence and a compelling piece of evidence, we can present in a court environment if the case goes through there."
Witnesses who can help is asked to call 101, or report online.
If an appeal for witnesses is launched a reference number will be provided for the public to quote.
If someone prefer to remain anonymous, they can do this by calling independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Reporting online via Crimestoppers****** also offers people the option to log back in and see if police have requested further information without the public providing contact details.