in cases of threat of retaliation or intimidation. 2. Each State Party shall establish appropriate procedures to provide access to compensation and restitution for victims of offences covered by this Convention. 3. Each State Party shall, subject to its domestic law, enable views and concerns of victims to be presented and considered at appropriate stages of criminal proceedings against offenders in a manner not prejudicial to the rights of the defence. Article 26 Measures to enhance cooperation with law enforcement authorities 1. Each State Party shall take appropriate measures to encourage persons who participate or who have participated in organised criminal groups: (a) to supply information useful to competent authorities for investigative and evidentiary purposes on such matters as: (i) the identity, nature, composition, structure, location or activities of organised criminal groups; (ii) links, including international links, with other organised criminal groups; (iii) offences that organised criminal groups have committed or may commit; (b) to provide factual, concrete help to competent authorities that may contribute to depriving organised criminal groups of their resources or of the proceeds of crime. 2. Each State Party shall consider providing for the possibility, in appropriate cases, of mitigating punishment of an accused person who provides substantial cooperation in the investigation or prosecution of an offence covered by this Convention. 3. Each State Party shall consider providing for the possibility, in accordance with fundamental principles of its domestic law, of granting immunity from prosecution to a person who provides substantial cooperation in the investigation or prosecution of an offence covered by this Convention. 4. Protection of such persons shall be as provided for in Article 24 of this Convention. 5. Where a person referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article located in one State Party can provide substantial cooperation to the competent authorities of another State Party, the States Parties concerned may consider entering into agreements or arrangements, in accordance with their domestic law, concerning the potential provision by the other State Party of the treatment set forth in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article. Article 27 Law enforcement cooperation 1. States Parties shall cooperate closely with one another, consistent with their respective domestic legal and administrative systems, to enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement action to combat the offences covered by this Convention. Each State Party shall, in particular, adopt effective measures: (a) to enhance and, where necessary, to establish channels of communication between their competent authorities, agencies and services in order to facilitate the secure and rapid exchange of information concerning all aspects of the offences covered by this Convention, including, if the States Parties concerned deem it appropriate, links with other criminal activities; (b) to cooperate with other States Parties in conducting inquiries with respect to offences covered by this Convention concerning: (i) the identity, whereabouts and activities of persons suspected of involvement in such offences or the location of other persons concerned; (ii) the movement of proceeds of crime or property derived from the commission of such offences; (iii) the movement of property, equipment or other instrumentalities used or intended for use in the commission of such offences; (c) to provide, when appropriate, necessary items or quantities of substances for analytical or investigative purposes; (d) to facilitate effective coordination between their competent authorities, agencies and services and to promote the exchange of personnel and other experts, including, subject to bilateral agreements or arrangements between the States Parties concerned, the posting of liaison officers; (e) to exchange information with other States Parties on specific means and methods used by organised criminal groups, including, where applicable, routes and conveyances and the use of false identities, altered or false documents or other means of concealing their activities; (f) to exchange information and coordinate administrative and other measures taken as appropriate for the purpose of early identification of the offences covered by this Convention. 2. With a view to giving effect to this Convention, States Parties shall consider entering into bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements on direct cooperation between their law enforcement agencies and, where such agreements or arrangements already exist, amending them. In the absence of such agreements or arrangements between the States Parties concerned, the Parties may consider this Convention as the basis for mutual law enforcement cooperation in respect of the offences covered by this Convention. Whenever appropriate, States Parties shall make full use of agreements or arrangements, including international or regional organisations, to enhance the cooperation between their law enforcement agencies. 3. States Parties shall endeavour to cooperate within their means to respond to transnational organised crime committed through the use of modern technology. Article 28 Collection, exchange and analysis of information on the nature of organised crime 1. Each State Party shall consider analysing, in consultation with the scientific and academic communities, trends in organised crime in its territory, the circumstances in which organised crime operates, as well as the professional groups and technologies involved. 2. States Parties shall