EZGOV EUROPE HELPS COMMUNITY JUSTICE CENTRE TACKLE LOCAL CRIME

...innovative online solution from EzGov Europe helps all parties in law enforcement from the judiciary to probation services track information on offenders…

LONDON, United Kingdom - 17 April 2006 - EzGov Europe, one of the market leaders in enabling successful e-Government, has announced that it is helping the Community Justice Centre in north Liverpool, the first of its kind in England and Wales, to tackle anti-social behaviour and the crime associated with it.

Key to the success of the project is an online system called Tracker, which has been developed by EzGov, to bring together different parts of the justice system involved in the scheme, to track and manage defendants' cases.

Community justice forms a key part of the UK Government's commitment to tackle anti-social behaviour and the crime associated with it. This innovative pilot programme in north Liverpool combines the powers of the courtroom with a range of community resources, available to local people, victims and witnesses, as well as offenders. It has already heard over 1,300 cases under David Fletcher, the centre's dedicated judge. The centre's courtroom handles cases for adults and young people, striving to break down barriers between the agencies of justice, the voluntary sector and the community, so that they can tackle the underlying causes of crime together and speed up administrative processes.

Sentencing of offenders focuses on a combination of penalty, restitution to the community and assistance to the offender in tackling the underlying issues contributing to their behaviour, aiming to help reduce re-offending. The judge is supported by a team of professionals from a range of agencies including, Merseyside Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Probation Service and Youth Offending Teams. Based on a problem-solving approach, the Tracker system developed by EzGov to underpin this system (officially called the "Defendant Centric, Multi-agency Tracker Solution") ensures that during the course of a defendant's journey through the community justice process, all the stakeholder agencies, including by the judge during court hearings, are able to view and contribute to a shared information repository associated with each defendant. The Tracker application captures and stores data from host systems, such as the Police National Computer (PNC) and Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), along with supplementary information captured throughout the Community Justice process, presenting a consolidated view to stakeholders based on their user profile.

David Chambers of the Department for Constitutional Affairs, who managed the project, said: "Using the Tracker system not only allows decisions to be made about an individual based on the full range of factors contributing to the case, but it is also unique in providing a clear view of the offender's progress through the justice system. It also allows the team to check whether the offender is complying with any penalties or sentences imposed by the centre."

Frank Moyer, Managing Director of EzGov Europe, said: "Tracker is the only justice system that stores data from charging an offender to completion of sentence, providing management information previously only available through time-consuming and expensive data gathering exercises. It shows EzGov's expertise in enabling success implementations of complex e-Government projects and initiatives."

The Tracker solution has been specifically designed to enable multi-agency use working in either a co-located or dispersed environment, where ease-of-use and straight-forward access to information is paramount.

The Tracker project for the Community Justice Centre in north Liverpool took 13 weeks from inception to a very successful go-live in autumn 2005, which was challenging given the complexity of the project and the solution being provided, but reflects the efficiency of EzGov's implementation skills to meet customer requirements.

About EzGov Europe
Headquartered in London, UK, EzGov Europe is a worldwide leader in innovative solutions that enable eGovernment. A pioneer in the business of putting government services online, EzGov Europe provides the expertise, services and technology to deliver successful online transactional applications for government. Its customers are central, regional and local governments around the world, where its solutions drive more than 100 mission-critical transactional applications. Unlike many other offerings in the market, the distinct advantage of EzGov Europe solutions are in the flexibility and adaptability to the way government does business, rather than forcing government to adapt to them. Its track record is unmatched in the creation of electronic government solutions that are always on time and on budget. With offices in London, Amsterdam, Brussels and Atlanta, EzGov Europe also partners with leading systems integrators to implement the platform and solutions for electronic government.

About the north Liverpool Community Justice Centre
The Community Justice Centre, North Liverpool, is a pioneering initiative aimed at bringing justice closer to the community. It is the first of its kind in England and Wales. The centre, based on Boundary Street, Kirkdale, works with local residents to tackle crimes and anti-social behaviour, which affects the quality of life of residents in the local authority wards of Anfield, County, Everton and Kirkdale. It provides access to a range of support services for those living and working in the area as well as enabling residents to identify their priorities for the work of the centre and the services it provides.

For further information about EzGov Europe, please contact:
Fiona Keys
Ascendant Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1494 772845
Email: fkeys@ascendcomms.net

For more information of the Community Justice Centre, North Liverpool, please contact:
Department for Constitutional Affairs press office
Tel: +44 (0) 207 210 8913/8722/1397