The Prolific and Other Priority Offenders Strategy
How the JTrack system is being used to support the PPO strategy
Government Offices and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
A PPO scheme covering every Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) is identifing the small number of individuals who pose the greatest threat to their local communities. These are entered into JTrack which allows all agencies to see who these targeted individuals are and to track the progress of their offences through the Criminal Justice System.
Police
JTrack provides Police Forces with a single means of tracking and monitoring those offenders who have been locally identified as priority offenders. The benefits of multi-agency use of JTrack provide police users and PPO schemes with direct access to relevant information from CPS and Prison Service. Benefits include:
- Direct access to CPS case progression information;
- Automatically updated Prison location and release information (JTrack is populated with information from Prison Service IT systems);
- Access to a comprehensive database of PPO contacts in the Criminal Justice System.
Police users are responsible for ensuring that:
- All identified PPOs being targeted by the local PPO scheme are entered onto JTrack (this does not include those targeted under Prevent and Deter who are included on Youth Offending Team databases);
- Arrests and charges for identified PPOs are accurate and up-to-date;
- De-selected PPOs are removed from JTrack.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
CPS JTrack users record case progression information on JTrack. This information helps PPO schemes effectively manage their PPO population and, in doing so, be effective in reducing the offending and harm caused by these individuals. The CPS role is central to the effectiveness of JTrack as a tool for local PPO schemes.
HM Prison Service
HM Prison Service use JTrack to inform prison establishments of the movement of PPOs across the prison estate. This information is essential for the PPO liaison officers located in each prison establishments so that they can co-ordinate work to meet with the range of requirements set out in Prison Service Order 4615. These include:
- Flag and track PPOs through their period in prison
- Prioritise PPOs for interventions within prisons
- Provide a local liaison point local agencies to follow the progress of PPO.
A full description of these requirements is provided in Prison Service Order 4615.
Guidance documents
Guidance for Police and CPS JTrack users outlines the necessary standards to be met to ensure local partners gain full benefit from JTrack usage:
Police guidance (PDF 170k)
Crown Prosecution Service guidance (PDF 120k)
Police and CPS users should be aware that failure to comply with these standards may significantly impair PPO scheme efforts to manage priority offenders and undermines the data used to inform the national PPO Programme Board. The importance of meeting these requirements was set out by the Permanent Secretary of Crime, Policing, Counter-Terrorism and Delivery; and the Director of Criminal Case Management, Office for Criminal Justice Reform:
Letter from the Permanent Secretary and Director of Criminal Case Management (PDF 179k)
Contact us
Contact the Home Office PPO Programme Team: ppo@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
Last update: Wednesday, October 01, 2008