
Extra funds boost police and courts IT overhaul…
By Andy McCue
Published: 20 July 2004 16:30 BST
Funding for the government's criminal justice IT programme is to get an £800m boost, putting the total investment at £2bn.
In its strategic plan for criminal justice from 2004 to 2008, the government has outlined how it plans to use leading edge technology to transform the detection of crime and management of offenders. One of the key planks will be a national intelligence system for all police forces – as recommended in the recent Bichard Report into the Soham murder investigation.
The new strategic report out this week claims the new technology will affect all aspects of criminal justice, with the use of digital fingerprinting, DNA testing, automatic number-plate recognition, video ID parades, intelligence analysis and a case-management system.
But criminal justice IT plans have hit problems in the past few years, with money wasted on failed systems, and the report is open about the challenges still faced, with information having to be re-keyed into different systems as it travels between individual agencies, and a lack of access to email and internet systems
"We are, however, starting from a very low base," the report said. "For example, until recently, prosecutors did not have access to computers, and basic processes in the courts, such as listing cases for trial, are still paper-based. There is a lack of modern IT infrastructure and systems. And where systems exist, they cannot talk to one another. This results in inefficiency and ineffectiveness."
Home Secretary David Blunkett unveiled the report as part of wider criminal justice reforms announced earlier this week.
He said in a statement: "We will continue to use every hi-tech tool at our disposal to bear down on the most persistent offenders.
The full document, Cutting Crime, Delivering Justice, can be found here.
This advert relates to a wide ranging and exciting job specification within a growing organisation that offers significant scope for personal ...
Our client is one of the UK's leading software and IT companies providing solutions to the Public Sector with particular emphasis on Local ...
Our client is one of the UK's leading software and IT companies providing solutions to the Public Sector with particular emphasis on Local ...
Agenda Setters 2008
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Mark McDonald CIOs: Go large for services The bigger the better
Stuart Packham Looking for a job? Look no further Five top recruitment trends