Voices from the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the Judiciary echo the importance of case management systems in enhancing access to justice through efficient, transparent, and digital tools. 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported a case management training for IT staff from the LNP, the Judiciary, and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), held from December 16-20, 2024.

UNDP Justice and Security officer Ms. Lisa Karlsson says, the training equipped the participants with the technical knowledge and practical skills to effectively use and administer the IT case management system.

“This system streamlines case processing, reduces delays, and ensures better record-keeping, which are critical for enhancing efficiency and transparency in their work,” said Ms. Karlsson. She also highlighted the importance of involving women in the fields of justice and technology as a key step towards fostering gender inclusion and empowering women in traditionally male-dominated sectors. 

By introducing digital tools, UNDP is helping to modernize and streamline processes in the judiciary and police, ensuring data-driven decision-making and long-term sustainability, thus, UNDP supports the case management system as part of its commitment to strengthening the rule of law and enhancing institutional capacity.

Chief Inspector Yangai O. Flomo is a dedicated LNP chief inspector who works in the human resource department in Montserrado county and attended the case management systems training supported by UNDP. 

In an interview, Flomo noted that the system facilitates information sharing within and between institutions. She said the training is important both to her career and daily work. “This training is essential not only for me but also for improving office efficiency. It allows the next officer to continue from where I left off, without duplicating the data I’ve already collected while on duty,” Flomo said.

Elaborating the UNDP’s broader goal of promoting good governance and access to justice for all, Ms. Karlsson said “an efficient and reliable case management system fosters accountability, improves access to justice, and ensures that cases, including those involving SGBV, are handled promptly and fairly”. 

Patrol officer Jestina T. Weah from the Community Service Section in the LNP expressed her gratitude to UNDP for the case management systems training. She said this continues to build and strengthen her capacity to do her work effectively.

“Before this case management systems training, I and other officers attended a three months’ computer training course. The course prepared us to be able to use these systems as the LNP slowly migrates to digital platform for crime collection data,” Weah said. 

The computer training course was part of the Professional Development Fund (PDF) program implemented by the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) under its “Strengthening Gender Equality in Law Enforcement Agencies in Liberia” project.  The project, with funding support from the US Department of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), benefitted female law enforcement officers from the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation (BCR), Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), and the LNP. The focus on professional development and career advancement through these programs is vital to enhancing institutional performance. With an increasing number of women in law enforcement gaining these technical skills, they are now contributing more effectively to data management, which in turn, informs crucial decision-making by the LNP.

UNDP’s continued support for the follow-up training, which includes female officers from the IDLO PDF program, highlights the strong coordination among donors, national institutions, and international development partners. This collaboration ensures the sustainability of professional capacity development efforts as it reinforces the skills gained in previous programs while providing additional opportunities for growth.

Superintendent Neor B. Gizea is the Chief of Crime Statistics at the LNP. He said that with the help of UNDP, the LNP started using the system in 2021. He stated that before the use of this digital platform, data was collected on paper, and stored on excel sheet at the headquarters.

Superintendent Gizea noted that at the time, access to computers was very limited. “The field officers would file data on paper and submit to headquarters where it would be stored on excel sheet,” he explained.

He further narrated that with the use of the case management system, data is collected in real time thus helping to easily identify crime hotspot areas and providing the necessary support instantly.

Speaking of how the system helps to track crimes, Superintendent Gizea said, “it can prevent crimes because once the analysis is done to identify hotspot areas, necessary support is provided before the crime gets out of hand”.

The case management system was established for the LNP and Judiciary in 2021 to streamline processes, enhance data accuracy, and improve accountability. UNDP provided 40 tablets to each of the institutions to boost digitalization.

“The training has been both rewarding and beneficial, especially during discussions about the upgrades needed to improve our daily workflow within the Judiciary,” said F. Augustus Nah. Jr, Coordinator of the case management system at the Judiciary. 

He further explained that the Case Management System is a secure web application designed for Court Clerks, Magistrate Courts, Circuit Courts, and County Attorney officers in Liberia. It allows them to record, store, track, and manage judicial cases from entry to exit, ensuring pretrial detainees are tracked and case disposal rates are measured. “The system helps set targets for case disposal, reduces case backlog, and shortens detention periods,” Attorney Nah stressed.

Built on the DHIS2 platform, CMIS includes data capture, analysis, visualization, and reporting tools, providing easy report generation and data visualization through Dashboards for justice stakeholders.

Nah said the aim of the Judiciary is to go paperless by 2029 and this training offers a broader perspective on integrating the system to help the Judiciary. “Since the introduction of this system, incidents of missing files have been reduced, and the Judiciary can track the cases from entry up to disposition”. 

Speaking on the challenges the Judiciary faced before using the system, Nicholas S. Mulbah, the Data Analyst at the Judiciary said, “there were a lot of challenges relating to record-keeping and it always took time to get the necessary information on time. Locating case files, missing files, missing records, information, and so on was a huge challenge that would take a day or two. 

Mulbah said the system has made daily work easy especially with retrieving data for information sharing and for report purposes. He said however the system needs an upgrade and appreciates the fact that this training also opened the stage for participants to share ideas on the necessary upgrades and changes with the developer. 

Even though various officers from the LNP and the Judiciary attended the training, it was targeted for IT staff and administrators of the system. Nonetheless, the training aimed to enhance the technical knowledge within the institutions to ensure sustainability and national ownership of the system. 

This would allow the separate institutions to make necessary updates to their systems and strengthen the coordination between institutions such as the Police, the Judiciary, the prosecution side of the Ministry of Justice, and the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation (BCR) moving forward.