The so-called ‘wall of silence’ presents a threat to successful police investigations and criminal trials. Explanations for it have focused on cultural narratives, including distrust in the police, a ‘no snitching’ culture and manipulative ‘professional criminals’. Drawing on a study of serious multi-handed violence and ‘joint enterprise’ as a legal response, this article highlights the role of the law, and its agents, in generating silence among young suspects, whose primary concern is the legal risks of talking. Yet, these young people face a precarious trap, as their silence is interpreted as guilt by the police, propelling them towards charge. This article concludes that to avoid over-charging and to encourage young people with knowledge of serious violence to talk, structural change is needed. The system must reverse the legal rules regarding silence and reform the law on secondary liability to reduce the legal risks of talking.

所谓的“沉默之墙”对成功的警察调查和刑事审判构成了威胁。对此的解释集中在文化叙事上，包括对警察的不信任，“不轻描淡写”的文化和操纵性的“专业罪犯”。本文以对严重的多手暴力和“联合企业”作为法律对策的研究为基础，强调了法律及其代理人在使年轻犯罪嫌疑人保持沉默方面的作用。，其主要关注点是说话的法律风险。然而，这些年轻人面临着不稳定的陷阱，因为他们的沉默被警察解释为有罪，迫使他们受到指控。本文的结论是，为了避免滥收费用，并鼓励了解严重暴力知识的年轻人说话，需要进行结构性改革。该系统必须逆转关于沉默的法律规则，并改革次要责任法律，以减少讲话的法律风险。