Greater Manchester Police deploys two-way CMS

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has implemented a case management system from STL Technologies that has a two-way interface with the Crown Prosecution Service’s system.

The move comes as the Criminal Prosecution Service Criminal drive to make all its file-referencing digital by April 2012.

The system is expected to save money, improve efficiency, speed up case progression and deliver an improved service to victims and witnesses of crime. The two-way interface between the GMP and CPS case management systems went live at the end of 2011 and exchanged over 30,000 messages in the first week.

All CPS case file memos, action plans and charging decisions are returned directly to ICIS, GMP’s case file management system. This allows officers and prosecutors to exchange information more quickly and more effectively about defendants, witnesses and victims. The CPS can also send case status updates to the police reducing the amount of unnecessary file work in the event of an unexpected guilty plea.

Nazir Afzal, chief crown prosecutor from the North West Area, said: “The two-way digital link between the CPS and police case management systems helps cut down on duplication and improves the speed and accuracy with which we can exchange information about criminal cases. It will enable the CPS and Greater Manchester Police to work together more efficiently and it is a vital step in creating a fully digital Criminal Justice System. 

“The fact that we have achieved this milestone first in Greater Manchester is a testament to the collaboration and close working that exists between the CPS, GMP and the courts in our collective drive for criminal justice efficiency,” said Afzal.