SIX years ago the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) relied on paper documents for filing cases. To say that IT literacy was low is to put it mildly. “People didn’t even have PCs on desks,” says Claire Hamon, the CPS’s chief information officer.

Implementing a nationwide electronic case-management system under a ten-year Private Finance Initiative was always going to be a big job, hence a lengthy process of procurement in 2001. One year and six consultancies later, a winner emerged. “As well as demonstrating value for money, we felt that LogicaCMG really wanted to work in partnership,” Hamon says.

Both she and Steve Minter, a director at LogicaCMG, cite their shared objectives as central to the project’s success. “It’s almost like a marriage,” Hamon says. Consultation was also crucial. “The system is designed by users for users,” Minter says.

That’s not to say that the business culture change didn’t come as a shock to those lawyers and case workers brought up in the paper tradition. “There was some resistance,” he says.

Local implementation teams eased the process, allowing CPS workers to train colleagues. “Once they saw the strengths of the system, it was easier.” With 6,500 users to train over a nine-month period across 42 CPS regions, the logistics were complex, with 200 LogicaCMG staff involved.

“The project was delivered on time and within budget, which was vital to our credibility,” Hamon says.

Some areas have exceeded targets, with 100 per cent of full-file reviews online and operations spreading from 91 sites to more than 700. Lawyers can now access case material remotely and gathering paperwork for court is considerably faster.

Meanwhile, police officers can now file witness statements online, allowing them to put together a detailed body of evidence quickly. “The system makes successful trials more likely, which will reduce crime,” Minter says.

“We call it joined-up justice,” Hamon adds. EMILY FORD

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