The Government established a Delay Action Team (DAT) in May of this year in response to an inspection report on avoidable delay in the criminal process by Kit Chivers, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland and the Government wish to ensure improvements in the Criminal Justice System. The team is made up of members of the police, prosecution, courts and youth justice services. Its responsibility is to find ways of bringing criminal cases in Northern Ireland, before the courts more quickly. Drawing on experience in England and Wales as well as addressing the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland, the team has developed a detailed cross-agency strategy to eliminate avoidable delay in processing criminal cases; set out a plan to devise end-to-end targets for different categories of criminal cases; produced a timed action plan; and produced specific proposals to deal with youth cases. The Government will announce the targets early next year.

The report highlights the considerable existing efforts to bear down on delays, including the joint protocol between the Public Prosecution Service and PSNI, the training of police officers responsible for file preparation, the introduction of trial status reports and pre-trial reviews in the Crown Court, and the establishment of youth case managers and champions in the PSNI and PPS respectively. It also points to work in the pipeline, including the reform of the transfer of cases to the Crown Court and the Causeway Electronic Case Management System. It recommends specific improvements to the oversight of case processing and the serving of summonses.

Delays are too long. They impose a real strain on victims and witnesses and risk undermining the chances of justice being done. We are confident that as the strategy is implemented there will be a measurable improvement in the time it takes to see justice done. The whole of the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice System is working together to address the issue.

Copies of the Delay Action Team’s report have been placed in the Library. It is available on the NIO and CJSNI websites.