ALS in the press
What a week it has been for ALS/Capita flashing in the news, with a trial adjourned due to incompetent interpreting, fake interpreters attending, ALS representatives summoned to court, the Justice Select Committee starting their inquiry into the contract, as well as Hampshire police’s refusal to work with ALS and West Midlands Police complaining they have to release suspects due to interpreting shambles. The articles posted on this website have been written in the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, the Independent, the Guardian and a number of local newspapers.
The halted trial was further echoed in the Yorkshire Post, Asian Image and even the New Indian Express. The story of MPs investigating the contract with ALS found itself in the Politics Home and the Lawyer.
Six months into the court interpreting contract, regional newspapers still highlight ALS’s failure to supply professional interpreters.
On 20th July a sexual assault case at Oxford Magistrates’ Court had to be adjourned due to the lack of an interpreter, as reported by the Oxford Mail.
On 18th July, according to Ashford Herald, the chairman of the magistrates' bench at Folkestone got so frustrated that he joined the Crown prosecutor and a defence solicitor in criticising the state of translation services.
On July 11th the Sutton Guardian writes that the jury at Croydon Crown Court were discharged in the trial of a man accused of outraging public indecency after the defendant had a problem with his interpreter. The trial has had to be pushed back to August 28th.
On July 4th I already reported ALS’s nationwide failures, and the trend will only continue. With a contract which is fundamentally wrong and practically unworkable, there is simply no room for improvement, so watch this space…
