Clare senator, Martin Conway, has urged the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald and the Acting Garda Commissioner, Noirin O’Sullivan, to consider the establishment of a website to keep victims informed about the status of their case.
“Last year in the UK, Avon and Somerset police forces set up a website called TrackMyCrime, allowing people to follow the progress of their cases,” said the Fine Seanad Spokesperson on Justice, Disability and Equality.
“TrackMyCrime allows victims of crime to access the progress of the investigation of their crime as well as contact the officer leading the investigation. The service is offered to victims of crime alongside all of our other methods of communication with notifications via email and/or text, alerting them to a message which they can securely access at a time and in a way that suits them.,” he explained.
Senator Conway said the system automatically updates as police enter information on their computers, with emergency 999 call handlers offering the service when they call.
“The effectiveness of the criminal justice system depends crucially on the public’s confidence in it.
“I believe that combining policing with modern technology will enable An Garda Síochana to develop a more transparent, accessible and responsive policing system with victims at its heart. This website would further improve the service provided by An Garda Síochana and make life easier for gardaí,” Senator Conway said.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.