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By far the strongest evidence in antisocial behaviour cases comes from neighbours. Neighbours can identify the perpetrators of antisocial behaviour in court and describe the effect this behaviour has on their daily lives. If you can gain the trust and confidence of your witness and bring them through the whole court process, the benefits to your case will be substantial. Resolving a case by using local residents also strengthens the community.

But witnesses will have many anxieties. Some will be exaggerated or based on misunderstandings, some will be justified. You must be clear and honest about the legal process. Explain what is required from the witness, discuss the risks and demonstrate how you, as their landlord, will support them.

There must be as few surprises as possible for the witness. Explain the latest legal situation, answer questions about the pending case and ensure the perpetrator cannot intimidate the witness in any way.

Keep in contact
Make some form of contact at least once a week. Be proactive; don't leave it to the witness to contact you when something goes wrong. A short telephone call will show you are actively monitoring the case and is a relatively small investment of time and care that will result in higher witness confidence and create trust and goodwill.

There will be certain potential crisis points when extra support and contact will be needed – when the perpetrator is first served with the legal papers, or first given the witness statements to read, and the day(s) of the court hearing itself, for example.

Prepare for the worst
In cases where the perpetrator has a history of violence or threatening behaviour, you should inform the police at an early stage of any intended legal action. Ask them to alert their control room to the possibility of violence and keep them informed of developments. If the situation escalates, get the witness an alarm linked directly with the police station for use in emergencies.

Record keeping
Always remember how valuable diary sheets are to your case and to your witness's testimony. Demonstrate this by offering to retrieve them on a regular basis, and check through them with your witness. Make sure the date and times of incidents and all relevant details are included and that the handwriting is legible. All new incidents must be written down even if they have been verbally reported to you.

Video cameras in their homes can give witnesses the confidence to remain there rather than fleeing in fear

React quickly
If the witness suffers direct abuse or intimidation by the perpetrator or their family, or if their property is damaged or threatened, you must act as soon as you are aware of the incident. Contact your solicitor or antisocial behaviour consultant immediately; take a detailed account of what has happened and collect evidence in the form of videos, photographs and so on. Again, keep in close touch with all parties while you decide with your manager and solicitor what action is to be taken.

If witnesses see incidents of antisocial behaviour go unchallenged, or if they are targeted without any response from their landlord, they may withdraw their support. Remember the civil remedies that can give legal protection to your witness: emergency injunctions, injunctions with a power of arrest attached, exclusion orders and even expedited hearings.

Video cameras in witnesses' homes can record incidents of intimidation or harassment and provide strong evidence when seeking injunctions or speeding up possession proceedings. Tenancy enforcement officers have found that discreet cameras have given witnesses the confidence to remain in their home throughout the legal process, where before they might have fled the property in fear.

A dictaphone can be useful to record incidents if they have difficulty in writing diaries, and you could provide a mobile phone to call 999 if they fear having their phone line cut or if they do not have a phone.

Safety in numbers
If there is more than one witness in a street or neighbourhood, link them up with each other – but get permission from the witness before giving their details to a third party. Joint meetings at the local housing office between all witnesses, the housing officer, the housing manager and the solicitor are a good way of linking witnesses. You could distribute a list of telephone numbers so witnesses can contact each other to raise morale and prevent feelings of isolation, but remember that lists must be very carefully stored.

Also, they could call the National Witness Support Network on 0161 276 0014.