Hampshire Constabulary first to go live with Common Platform and Single Justice Service
Hampshire Constabulary has become the first force in England to use a new management system for single justice procedures (SJP) cases. Anyone in the county responding to an SJP charge, such as a traffic offence, will now be able to enter their plea digitally meaning they can resolve their case without going to court.
Emily Brown, the force Summary Justice Unit team leader, said: “I’m delighted we’ve been chosen as the first force to deal with traffic offences using this new system. I can see immediate benefits and some real efficiencies for the police, as well as for our local citizens.
“It will mean that when people are charged with traffic offences, such as speeding or driving without insurance – and if they plead guilty – they’ll be dealt with efficiently and fairly by the justice system, with minimal delays. It means our local courts can concentrate on those cases that really need to be there and for us, as prosecutors, we’re able to see and act on real-time results.”
Under the new system, details of a traffic offence will be uploaded directly on to the case management system. As soon as the defendant provides a guilty plea online, the system will prioritise their case. A plea may be dealt with immediately and defendants will no longer have to wait a minimum of 28 days for an outcome (for a fine, withdrawal or referral to open court), as is currently the case. Postal pleas will still be an option and will go to a centralised unit and uploaded to the case.
All defendants can request an open hearing in court whether they enter a guilty plea or not guilty plea.
Support for users of the service is provided by the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre.
The SJP is an element of the Single Justice Service introduced in 2015, which allows a single magistrate to deal with adult, summary-only, non-imprisonable offences for ‘guilty’ pleas and ‘proof in absence’ cases (when a defendant has not responded to a charge). These cases account for about 850,000 of criminal cases per annum, which almost exclusively result in a financial penalty.
The magistrate, supported by a legal adviser, decides on these cases outside of the courtroom in the absence of the prosecutor and defendant. It allows those who plead guilty to resolve their case without going to court, minimises delay and frees up court time for those cases that need to be heard in court.
The service is being delivered through the Common Platform, a new digital case management system, which is currently being rolled out for other criminal cases to all criminal courts across England and Wales and the process is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
It’s designed to enable the courts system to manage and share criminal case information more effectively, delivering greater transparency, consistency and faster case processing.
It’s already being used by courts to process Transport for London, TV Licensing and DVLA SJP cases, such as using a television without a licence or failing to show a valid ticket while travelling on a train service. It will be further extended to non-police prosecutors, including local authorities and transport companies.
