New app aimed at cutting court backlog ‘is entirely unreliable’

LAWYERS have raised concerns over new technology aimed at speeding up criminal cases in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

An application designed to book meetings between defence solicitors and prosecutors so that cases can either be resolved quickly or proceed to trial has been described as “entirely unreliable”.

The app, created by the Crown Office, arranges newly introduced Pre-intermediate Diet Meetings (PIDMS), which aim to avoid procedural in-court hearings as the justice system deals with the backlog created by the pandemic.

However, lawyers say the software is unnecessarily complicated and often times out before they can complete the booking.

The Crown Office said it is looking at ways to make improvements to the system.

Julia Mcpartlin, president of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA), said: “The Crown Office had to create the app at quite short notice so there are lots of problems with it, and I think it’s fair to say that they acknowledge that there are.

“The main problem is that it uses a two-factor authentication process, so you have to have your mobile next to you to get the code to log on, so you cannot delegate the booking to admin staff.

“Then, once you get in it, despite having gone through that authentication, you still have to fill in all of your details again and – I’m not sure why– if you don’t do it quickly enough it empties all of the fields and you’ve got to do it again.

“The upshot of that is that a lot of people are not using the app, and instead they are contacting the PF deputes directly.

“We’re not supposed to do that and we’ve been told that from June they will insist that we use the app which is not ideal.”

She added: “It’s overly complicated, with the authentication and the details you have to put in. There’s no confidential information going in, it’s just a reference number, so I don’t really understand why it has to be so complex.”

PIDMS were introduced in December as a means of resolving summary (no jury) cases earlier and more efficiently.

Instead of attending court for a procedural hearing known as an intermediate diet, the meetings allow the prosecution and defence to remotely discuss the best way forward, allowing for early guilty pleas or cases to proceed directly to trial. They are part of a raft of measures introduced to try to deal with the backlog of summary cases which may not be cleared until 2024.

However, Neil Martin, president of the Edinburgh Bar Association, said he has been unable to log on to the app “despite thinking of myself as being relatively tech savvy”.

He said that his colleague had managed to get logged on but had gone on to experience further problems.

Stuart Murray, vice president of the SSBA, added: “The app is entirely unreliable, so much so that most agents will phone or email the Crown to discuss their case rather than use it.

“However, in recent weeks, the Crown have become more and more insistent on agents accessing it.”

A cross-justice meeting was held earlier this month to discuss the “challenges”, with the judiciary, prosecutors and defence agents agreeing to work together to try to address the issues.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The PIDM initiative has proven successful in ensuring summary criminal cases are dealt with more effectively and efficiently.

“COPFS will continue to work closely with justice partners to respond to the challenges the sector has faced and promote good communication with the wider legal profession to make improvements that will not only benefit the justice system now, as it recovers from the effects of the pandemic, but in years to come.”