XHIBIT, now operating at Birmingham Crown Court, enables court users, such as the police, prosecutors and witness groups, to obtain necessary case details in minutes rather than days.
XHIBIT is currently installed in 68 Crown Court sites.
Lord Falconer said: "Giving evidence in court is daunting at the best of times, but even more so if a witness has to wait for an unpredictable length of time. XHIBIT means that witnesses, including the police, can be contacted by mobile phone, fax or telephone, or can go online to find out how their case is progressing.
"XHIBIT is an example of courts using technology to improve the way they communicate with the public and adds up to a better deal for victims and witnesses in the court process. It is a practical measure that will help make it easier for victims under great pressure."
XHIBIT provides case information to magistrates' courts, Witness Service, Victim Support, the police, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Police National Computer can be updated much faster and orders made by the court can be processed more quickly from this information.
Commander Alfred Hitchcock, the Association of Chief Police Officers lead on criminal justice legislation, said: "Working with XHIBIT is another example of how the police are committed to speeding up the criminal justice system. This new approach offers benefits, enabling officers to spend less time waiting at court and more time patrolling the streets.
"It also helps us support the victims and witnesses through the criminal justice process, as well as getting court results and bail conditions more efficiently.'
XHIBIT is the first system to run on the new LINK infrastructure introduced by Her Majesty's Court Service in 2002 to provide court staff and the Judiciary in criminal and combined courts with modern 21st Century technology.
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Notes to Editors
- XHIBIT (eXchanging Hearing Information By Internet Technology) is now being introduced into 99 Crown Court sites across England and Wales, following a pilot in 2004. XHIBIT is a £20 million fixed term contract with EDS.
- In 2003 XHIBIT won the BT Syntegra Award for Innovation, 2004 XHIBIT won a Criminal Justice Award for Innovation, presented by the Prime Minister and was runner-up in the e-Government Awards. In 2005 XHIBIT won the Government Computing BT awards for innovation and has been shortlisted for a Guardian Public Service Award. In 2003 LINK received a project delivery award from the Office of Government Commerce.
- Anyone with access to the Internet can view the current status of a Crown Court via Her Majesty's Court Service website at www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk.
- Approximately 19 per cent of trials are ineffective and are adjourned until a later date.
- Only 3 per cent of police time in court is spent giving evidence. This equates to £100m per annum that could be used for more effective policing.
- Forty per cent of those attending court would be unwilling to be witnesses again. The key reasons were wasted time in court precincts, repeated adjournments and a lack of information. Only 54 per cent of witnesses gave evidence on the day called and 17 per cent waited more than 4 hours.
Quelle: Government Computer Network, 11.11.2005
