IT pilots

The potential of new technology to ease the path of the independent witness, to deter violence and to make the criminal justice system swifter, fairer and more effective is enormous.  And that is before thinking of the hundreds of millions of pounds it could save us as taxpayers.

Right now, courts are one of the few places where you can find living examples of video machines that cannot be switched on, dvd machines which play the wrong format, and TV screens that crash.  Outside of the courts, the most widespread use of mobile technology in the field of crime is ‘happy slapping’ by the violent youths when they video the assault they commit on some hapless girl or boy and then copy the film round to their mates.

With the Met Police’s decision to do away with witness appeal boards because they risk damaging the new public confidence ratings and targets, the task of engaging the independent witness and good citizen is now even harder.  With our colleagues at Viscero, we are developing an internet map so that (a) police and victims can put out calls for witness, (b) witnesses can easily find out whom to contact, (c) victims and witnesses can communicate securely and easily with the police and (d) the public can get a fair view of the risk of street violence in their area.  The map will be piloted in Hackney & Islington in the autumn. 

As we and you come up with new ideas, our intention is to pilot and test the proposals in this section.