An electronically joined-up justice system came a step closer today as the first ‘interface’ between the two key parts of the Government’s flagship Criminal Justice IT project went live at Rugby in Warwickshire.
The electronic ‘interface’ between custody and case preparation programmes will link police custody files and prosecution case files in a bid to cut red tape, reduce errors and speed up the workings of the police and courts.
Benefits of the programmes include paper-free police custody suites, improvements in file quality and a reduction in duplication and delays. The systems will be rolled out to police forces across the country by 2004/05.
Home Office Minister Hazel Blears saw the system ‘go live’ when she visited a paper-free police custody suite at Rugby Police Station in Warwickshire today. She said:
"The Government is investing millions in equipping our police service and other criminal justice agencies with the IT tools they need. A good, user-friendly IT solution means officers spend less time in the back room filling out forms and more time patrolling in our communities and tackling crime.
"The Custody and Case Preparation applications are a key element of the wider programme to deliver a joined-up Criminal Justice System. Electronic and secure sharing of case file information across the criminal justice system will mean less duplication and ensure greater accuracy, whilst making case information electronically available to the people who need it.
"Timely and accurate information enables better quality decisions about bail, charging, the conduct of the prosecution or defence, and rehabilitation for individual offenders – all crucial for faster and more effective justice. Victims and witnesses will be better informed about the progress of their cases."
The Custody programme will:
The Case Preparation programme will:
Warwickshire Chief Constable, Mr John Burbeck, welcomed this huge step and the opportunities it offers for realising significant benefits to the police and other criminal justice agencies. He said:
"At the heart of this development is the need to provide continuous improvement in the level of reassurance that we are able to give to victims and witnesses. It is a major milestone in an ambitious programme to deliver a consistent, high quality standard of service. All the evidence shows that this product will deliver significant benefits to all Criminal Justice Centres.
"Once an offender is arrested, the police service provides most of the information required for the prosecution to proceed. We will now be able to ensure that that information is delivered more quickly to our partners, particularly the CPS and the Courts. More importantly we will be able to keep victims and witnesses better informed about their case. These products are key to modernising the criminal justice system and providing the whole community with best value."
These IT programmes are part of the Government’s national Criminal Justice System IT programme to put modern IT infrastructure and systems in place to support improved performance across the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales.
Notes to Editors:
The programmes have been developed by the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) and Vivista.
The Government has invested £69 million on the development of the Case and Custody national IT programmes.
Ten case programmes and four custody programmes were operational in forces at the end of 2003. Ten additional forces will be using the custody programmes by the end of the financial year 2003/04.
The Custody programme is a business solution that essentially manages the processes for handling people who are arrested and taken into custody. When processing arrestees at Police Stations it captures the essential data that is needed for processing them and provides a clear lead for custody sergeants to take them through the procedures and requirements that are laid down in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and its Code of Practice. It thus provides a reduction in Police bureaucracy by getting rid of paperwork.
The Custody programme is a business solution that manages the processes for handling people who are arrested and taken into custody. The programme provides a clear lead for custody sergeants at Police Stations when processing arrestees. It captures the essential data that is needed and takes them through the procedures and requirements that are laid down in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and its Code of Practice. It thus provides a reduction in Police bureaucracy by getting rid of paperwork.
The Case Preparation programme is a business solution that helps manage the processes for building case files around the information provided by the Custody programme. It removes the need for double keying of custody data and, in time, will permit the electronic transfer of files, including all relevant victim and witness statements to the Crown Prosecution Service as well as to the Courts. The programme is also able to receive results electronically from the courts for onward transmission to the Police National Computer, significantly reducing the time taken to update records.
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