JUSTICE SPEEDS UP AS NORTHUMBRIA WITNESSES GET FASTER UPDATES

17 Feb 2006 12:15 PM

A new award-winning computer system that gets court information to victims, witnesses of crime and crime fighters much quicker has been launched in Northumbria.

XHIBIT, now operating at Newcastle (Moot Hall) and Newcastle Crown and county court, enables court users, such as the police, prosecutors and witness groups, to obtain necessary case details in minutes rather than days.

The £20m system, being rolled out across England and Wales, can update individual court users on the progress of a case via criminal justice agencies; these messages are sent either by text, email, or pager. The public can also track court hearings online using the Internet or via public display screens in the court building.

Constitutional Affairs Minister Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP said:

"Attending court can be stressful at the best of times. With XHIBIT, witnesses can now be more in touch with their case using the latest technology.

"There will be local benefits too, as police officers will spend less time waiting at court to give evidence, and more time policing the streets.

"This technology is part of the Government's drive to take the court system into the 21st Century. It all adds up to a better deal for victims and witnesses in the court process."

XHIBIT provides case information to magistrates' courts, Witness Service, Victim Support, the police, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Police National Computer can be updated much faster and orders made by the court can be processed more quickly from this information.

Sheila Proudlock, Northumbria Area Director for Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS), said:

"The new system can provide criminal justice agencies in Northumbria with faster court information to all interested parties using Internet technology. It will eventually make the delivery of justice more transparent and more efficient."

XHIBIT is the first system to run on the new LINK infrastructure introduced by Her Majesty's Courts Service in 2002 to provide court staff and the Judiciary in criminal and combined courts with modern 21st Century technology.

Notes to Editors

1. XHIBIT (eXchanging Hearing Information By Internet Technology) is now being introduced into 101 Crown Court sites across England and Wales, following a pilot in 2004.

2. In 2004 XHIBIT won a criminal justice award for innovation, presented by the Prime Minister and was runner-up in the e-Government Awards. In 2005 XHIBIT won the Government Computing BT awards for innovation and has been shortlisted for a Guardian Public Service Award. In 2003 LINK received a project delivery award from the Office of Government Commerce.

3. Anyone with access to the Internet can view the current status of a Crown court via Her Majesty's Court Service website at www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk.

4. Approximately 19 per cent of trials are ineffective and are adjourned until a later date.

5. Only three per cent of police time in court is spent giving evidence. This equates to £100m per annum that could be used for more effective policing.

6. Forty per cent of those attending court would be unwilling to be witnesses again. The key reasons were wasted time in court precincts, repeated adjournments and a lack of information. Only 54 per cent of witnesses gave evidence on the day called and 17 per cent waited more than 4 hours.

7. All Crown courtrooms in Northumbria will use XHIBIT.

ENDS