Airdrie to pilot court IT scheme

AIRDRIE is to pilot a IT scheme designed to reduce the number of people failing to turn up for court hearings because of administrative errors.

The problem is believed to cost around £3.5 million every year.

The court door-listing pilot scheme will compare the number of people due to appear in court and those in prison custody, aiming to slash the number of no-shows and avoid unnecessary delays and costs.

It also identifies those accused who are due in different courts at the same time.

Analysis of 2010 figures by the Scottish Prison Service showed around 3 per cent of court hearings saw the accused failing to turn up because they were in prison and nobody at the court was told in advance.

That led to cases being recalled and warrants being issued.

The pilot, at Airdrie Sheriff Court, is being run by the Scottish Government, the Crown Office and the Scottish Court Service to improve the sharing of information between the various parts of Scotland’s criminal justice system.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “I want the public to have confidence that our justice system is there to serve them and will do so fairly, efficiently and effectively.

“This pilot in Airdrie is already proving to be very successful, with savings in just one week in the order of £20,000. In that week there were 10 cases identified when an individual would not have appeared in court. This new detection system allowed for better planning to allow the cases to progress without unnecessary delays and costs.

“In addition to the cost element, there is also of course the inconvenience caused to other witnesses when court cases cannot proceed. Many of these people can be victims and many will be there through no fault of their own and I want to improve the service they receive and their confidence in the system.

“The number of police officers cited to court must also be reduced to cut unnecessary overtime costs and ensure that police time is spent protecting the public.”

He added: “We are working to create a modern justice system that is fair, accessible and efficient and better meets the needs of the people of Scotland. I am hopeful that this pilot can be rolled out across the country to reduce court case times and cut wasted time and money.”