Home > NEWS > CJI News > Professional operational support ‘essential’ to the administration of justice in NI’s criminal Court Professional operational support ‘essential’ to the administration of justice in NI’s criminal Court 19/09/2024 CJI Chief Inspector Jacqui Durkin has highlighted the importance of effective administrative support that ensures the smooth operation of Northern Ireland’s criminal Courts and the accurate recording of Judicial decisions made in the Crown, Magistrates’ and Youth Courts. A new inspection of criminal Court administration focused on the administrative processes, systems and services provided by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) supporting the progression and disposal of criminal cases and Judicial decision making across Northern Ireland. “The Court stages of a criminal investigation, prosecution and defence require quality services from NICTS staff before, during and after Court hearings including the accurate and prompt recording of Judicial decisions, sentences and orders. It is vital that the administrative services they provide have the confidence of everyone involved including victims, witnesses and defendants as well as the wider public,” said Ms Durkin. “Inspectors identified that performance management and quality assurance processes required significant improvement. Between 2020 and 2023, 4,810 Court Orders required amendment and 4,563 were deleted largely due to staff error. More than 50% of these errors were discovered and brought to the NICTS’s attention by external sources. While these figures represented less than 0.5% of the total Orders issued each year, the impact of mistakes can incur additional costs, delay payments, mean someone is held in custody longer than they should be, or could compromise the effective management of risk presented by an offender to protect public safety. Getting this right is essential because getting it wrong can have dire consequences” she said. Inspectors have recommended that the NICTS should review their quality assurance processes for the service of Court Orders to secure improvement and that existing processes for making data changes requests to amend or delete Court Orders should also be reviewed. Staffing pressures within the NICTS and the organisation’s difficulty in recruiting staff especially to fulfil Court Clerk roles was also highlighted. In October 2023, 15% of posts were vacant, with vacancies being filled through a combination of temporary promotion and temporary contract agency staff. This was creating instability within the organisation and negatively impacting staff morale. Ms Durkin said she welcomed the work the NICTS had undertaken with the Northern Ireland Civil Service to develop a long-term solution to address this staffing risk. “I have recommended that a Workforce Strategy that sets out the staff required to effectively administer Courts and support the Judiciary is put in place to inform a sustainable skilled workforce. We have also urged the NICTS to take steps to improve the consistency of training providing to staff, especially for those providing operational roles in regional Courthouses, needed improvement to increase the confidence and competence of staff to undertake their roles,” said the Chief Inspector. “This inspection recognises that NICTS staff have worked to provide support to all Crown, Magistrates’ and Youth Courts across Northern Ireland despite the business challenges it has faced. During 2022-23 their efforts meant that 15% more Crown Court cases and 5% more Magistrates’ Court cases were processed than the number of cases they received. We also recognise the agile approach of the NICTS and the significant progress and value it achieved by its use of technology which maintained court operations and access to justice during the COVID-19 pandemic through remote and hybrid Court hearings. “The two Strategic and seven Operational recommendations for improvement included in this Inspection Report aim to support the NICTS as it goes from strength to strength to meet future challenges and transformation head on,” concluded Ms Durkin.