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https://insidehmcts.blog.gov.uk/2016/08/04/digital-defence-using-a-urn/

Digital defence - using a URN

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Court and tribunal reform, Crime, Digital services


[English] - [Cymraeg]

I thought it would be good to give defence practitioners some advance notice of business changes you may consider making, so your organisation is ready for the Criminal Justice System Common Platform.

How will you find a case on the Common Platform

Rather than waiting for a third party to grant you access or send you information by secure email, you can register cases against your organisation and access case materials.

To do this you will need to input the Unique Reference Number (URN), defendant’s forename, surname and date of birth into the Common Platform search screen.

A single result to your search will be returned, which maintains the security of the information contained in the system and gives the assurance cases are only accessed by those who have permission to do so.

What is the URN

This is a number which is generated by the police and is on the defendant’s charge sheet. Some forces generate this number at the point of charge, others at the point of arrest. We’ve asked all forces to create this number at the earliest opportunity in the lifecycle of a case and provide it to defence practitioners.

Why the URN

The URN is the only common reference number used by the police, CPS and HMCTS. It’s a piece of data that flows through each of the agencies’ case management systems without the need for data entry. If a new reference number was used or a number which isn’t already recognised by the various case management systems, it would incur a significant cost.

How does the URN benefit your business now

Using the URN together with the defendant’s name in correspondence to the CPS, makes it easier for the case to be found on CPS case management systems. Reducing the amount of time taken by the CPS to find a case, this will speed up the process of supplying the Initial Details of the Prosecution Case, which will in turn increase the number of requests they are able to comply with.

What did our research discover

In a number of police force areas the custody reference number becomes the URN. Those areas are:- Somerset, Bedfordshire, City of London, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Humberside, Metropolitan Police, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, West Mercia.

Some defence case management systems, don’t have a data field to store the URN. We published information explaining the URN is an important piece of information and that case management systems need the ability to store the URN.

Some forces create the URN at the point they start building their case, which can be before they have even arrested a suspect. We are working with Police to improve the URN creation process and we’ve appointed a police lead to take forward that work.

What do you need to do to get ready to use the Common Platform

Please start asking police for the URN at any stage before charge and beyond charge. If you experience issues, please let me know and I will work with the police to resolve them.


[English] - [Cymraeg]

Amddiffyn Digidol - defnyddio URN

Meddyliais byddai’n dda i roi gwybod ymlaen llaw i ymarferwyr yr amddiffyniad am newidiadau busnes yr hoffech ystyried eu gwneud, fel bod eich sefydliad yn barod ar gyfer Blatfform Cyffredin y System Cyfiawnder Troseddol (CJSCP).

Sut byddwch yn dod o hyd i achos ar y Platfform Cyffredin

Yn hytrach nag aros am drydydd parti i roi mynediad i chi neu anfon yr wybodaeth trwy e-bost diogel, gallwch gofrestru achosion yn erbyn eich sefydliad a chael mynediad at ddeunyddiau achosion.

I wneud hyn bydd rhaid i chi fewnbynnu’r Cyfeirnod Unigryw (URN), enw(au) cyntaf, cyfenw a dyddiad geni'r diffynnydd ar sgrin chwilio’r Platfform Cyffredin.

Bydd un canlyniad yn cael ei ddychwelyd, sy'n cynnal diogelwch y wybodaeth yn y system a rhoi'r sicrwydd bod achosion yn cael eu hasesu gan y rhai hynny sydd â’r caniatâd i wneud hynny yn unig.

Beth yw’r URN

Yr URN yw rhif sy’n cael ei gynhyrchu gan yr heddlu ac mae’n ymddangos ar ddalen cyhuddiadau’r diffynnydd. Mae rhai heddluoedd yn cynhyrchu’r rhif hwn wrth gyhuddo rhywun, rhai eraill wrth arestio rhywun. Rydym wedi gofyn i heddluoedd greu’r rhif hwn mor fuan ag sy'n bosib mewn cylch bywyd achos a’i rhoi i ymarferwyr yr amddiffyniad.

Pam yr URN

Yr URN yw’r unig gyfeirnod cyffredin sy'n cael ei ddefnyddio gan yr heddlu, GEG a GLlTEM. Mae’n ddarn o ddata sy'n rhedeg trwy systemau rheoli achosion pob un o'r asiantaethau, heb yr angen i gofnodi data. Pe byddai cyfeirnod arall yn cael ei ddefnyddio neu rif nad yw'n cael ei adnabod gan y systemau rheoli achosion gwahanol, byddai'n arwain at gost sylweddol.

Sut mae’r URN yn fuddiol i’ch busnes rŵan

Mae’r URN, ynghyd ag enw’r diffynnydd yn yr ohebiaeth i GEG, yn ei wneud yn haws i ddod o hyd i'r achos ar systemau rheoli achosion GEG. Gan leihau’r amser mae GEG yn treulio yn dod o hyd i achos, bydd hyn yn cyflymu'r broses o ddarparu Manylion Cychwynnol Achos yr Erlyniad, a fydd, yn ei dro, yn cynyddu nifer y ceisiadau gallant gydymffurfio â hwy.

Beth oedd canlyniad ein hymchwil

Mewn nifer o ardaloedd heddlu, mae'r cyfeirnod dalfa yn dod yn URN. Yr ardaloedd hynny yw: Gwlad yr Haf, Swydd Rhydwely, Dinas Llundain, Cymbria, Derbyshire, Dyfnaint a Chernyw, Dyrham, Humberside, Yr Heddlu Metropolitan, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, Gorllewin Mercia.

Nid oes gan rhai systemau rheoli achosion gell data ar gyfer cynnwys yr URN. Cyhoeddon ni gwybodaeth yn egluro bod yr URN yn ddarn pwysig o wybodaeth a bod rhaid i'r systemau rheoli achosion fod â'r gallu i storio’r URN.
Mae rhai heddluoedd yn creu’r URN wrth iddynt ddechrau adeiladu achos, gall hyn fod cyn iddynt arestio'r sawl sydd dan amheuaeth. Rydym yn gweithio gyda’r Heddlu i wella’r broses creu URN ac rydym wedi penodi arweinydd o'r heddlu i ddod â'r gwaith hwnnw yn ei flaen.

Beth sydd angen arnoch i fod yn barod i ddefnyddio’r Platfform Cyffredin

Dechreuwch trwy ofyn i’r heddlu am URN ar unrhyw bwynt cyn y cyhuddiad a thu hwnt i'r cyhuddiad. Os fyddwch yn cael trafferthion, gadewch i mi wybod a bydda i'n gweithio gyda'r heddlu i'w datrys.

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