The future of justice

Warwickshire Police is the first force to trial the Criminal Justice Project in England and Wales.

The Warwickshire Criminal Justice Board envisaged a justice system where all agencies involved are housed under the same roof, where information is on hand for all those who need it, and where victims and witnesses receive the support and reassurance that they need. The Criminal Justice Centre created by Warwickshire Police has been proving that this vision for a one-stop shop for justice can fast be turned into a reality.

“We aim to deliver justice in a very different way; where crime is reported, crime is investigated, where victims are supported, where the offender is investigated, detained and charged and where information about that offender is available to all of the agencies,” explained Richard Lyttle, justice centre programme director. “With that confidence the agencies can share that information.”

Planning

Warwickshire Police is the first force to trial the Criminal Justice Project in England and Wales. Plans were developed over six years; a Criminal Justice Board was created in March 2003 and the centre was officially opened in Nuneaton in early 2005.

The aims of the project are simple in theory, providing a “joined up justice service”, encouraging inter-agency co-operation, improving public confidence in the local criminal justice system, and providing better service for victims and witnesses, as well as suspects and offenders.

The aims and goals outlined in the project manifesto included:

• Reducing the number of ineffective and discontinued trials
• Increasing the number of offences brought to justice by five per cent
• Tackling both youth and adult persistent offending
• Increasing victim and witness satisfaction
• Improving public confidence in the Criminal Justice system
• Reducing the time taken to progress cases through the system
• Providing a higher level of service at a reduced cost, and
• Improving the working environment for staff.

The Warwickshire Criminal Justice Centre houses the Crown Court, four Magistrate Courts, the Probation Service, the Youth Offending Team and Victim and Witness Support. It employs over 150 members of staff who work in concert to share information, reducing the risk of court delays and cutting down the time taken to reach case resolution. The new processes have been readily embraced. Mr Lyttle stated: “Co-location certainly increases the visibility of all the agencies and improves delivery of services and performance.”

“We concentrated on improving processes and practices that have been built on historically but not necessarily taken apart and evaluated.”

Challenges

It has not all been plain sailing; problems with Data Protection forced the board to challenge some of the national organisations on their interpretation and practical application of information. They have moved the issue forward by producing a separate data protection security policy with which all the agencies have complied. The centre also undertook a CRAMMS assessment to provide reassurance to the agencies on the security of the system and the integrity of how the centre operates.

Another issue facing Warwickshire Police has been implementing a well understood and agreed strategy. “There were difficulties in finding a strategy that everyone is signed up to and that chief executives support and if you do not have total executive support then it is simply not going to happen,” explained Mr Lyttle. “Being prepared to make compromises to benefit the whole has been the key.”

However, Lyttle feels that all the agencies are now working together to the same resolution, whilst communicating with the local community to achieve results. Lyttle states that they simply “ascertain what the blockages are and unblock them!”

Whilst all agencies are unified in their approach in seeing justice done, Lyttl