Is AI the answer to the problems of CPIA disclosure?
Can AI meet the challenges arising from managing disclosure obligations under the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996?
Our Head of Investigations Tony McClements knows first-hand the immense challenges that arise from managing disclosure obligations under the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (CPIA) in England & Wales.
The complexities inherent in serious economic crime cases means that investigators and prosecutors can face mountains of hard copy documents, and terabytes of digital data, that must be meticulously reviewed to ensure compliance with legal disclosure requirements.
Indeed, disclosure is one of the main reasons that fraud has effectively disappeared from the UK policing radar. It is one thing to take a statement, gather exhibits and effect an arrest; it is quite another to have to manage the obligations of disclosure. To put this into context, disclosure is significantly more resource-heavy than the actual evidence gathering.
A recent UK government-backed review, conducted by Jonathan Fisher KC, has identified the gravity of this challenge. His recommendations highlight the desperate need to modernize our approach to criminal disclosure, through the integration of advanced technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI) – an approach with which Tony heartily agrees.
