EQUIFAX WINS RENEWAL OF CONTRACT WITH DEPARTMENT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Equifax eTrail helps increase fines payment rates
London, 6th February 2006 – The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) has extended its contract with Equifax plc for access to the company’s database of addresses and associated information to assist with the recovery of outstanding court penalties, for a further two years.
Utilised by all 42 Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) areas across England and Wales, the new contract will enable the continued tracing of offenders who have defaulted on court penalties. More than 100,000 new address leads have been provided by Equifax for the recovery of outstanding fines in the last 12 months. In addition to many other DCA initiatives, Equifax’s data and services have aided in the recovery of over £10 million more year on year.
Equifax provides the DCA with data via Equifax eTrail, a powerful online system designed specifically for government departments. In addition to providing access to more than 500 million records on individuals in the UK, the new contract will include commercial data on Directors and Businesses, enhanced searching reports, improved audit functionality and access to multiple search techniques via batch processes.
Michael Shannon, Managing Director of Equifax explains, “We are extremely pleased to be working closely with the DCA for another two years. This contract renewal confirms the value Equifax eTrail brings to government departments. For example, it has achieved double the target for the number of alternative addresses returned from each DCA search and the depth of information available has proved invaluable in the tracing process. Dates of birth can be used to more easily obtain information from other data sources; telephone numbers enable the courts to contact the person directly and details of family members provide potential leads to the whereabouts of an individual.”
Through utilising eTrail, over 700 staff in 42 HMCS areas are able to instantly check the whereabouts of offenders. With responsibility for enforcing court penalties, including fines, community penalties and suspended sentence supervision, it is vital that the courts can trace offenders quickly and efficiently.
Over the past year, Equifax eTrail has played a key role in improving the fine payments rate by providing crucial information, swiftly. For example, during Operation Payback 2, the second national crackdown on fine defaulters, a serious fine defaulter with 36 fines outstanding for a total of £4,300, was traced, arrested and committed to custody for non-payment. In addition, payments are regularly received from out of area addresses as a result of correspondence sent to the new address identified by Equifax.
Shannon concludes: “The results speak for themselves, which is why eTrail and Equifax data will continue to play an integral role in the wide-ranging initiatives being undertaken by the DCA to increase payment levels.”
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