Summary case conferencing is now operating at all metropolitan Magistrates’ Courts, and Geelong and Ballarat.
Oddly, this information was provided by the Law Institute to its Criminal Law Section members, but there’s nothing about it yet on the Victoria Police website. Not only does this seem counter-intuitive, it’s unhelpful for those lawyers who aren’t members of the Criminal Law Section but still occasionally have clients with criminal law files.
Case conferencing formalises what good solicitors and barristers have been doing for years: speaking with prosecutors to identify and resolve issues. Summary case conference managers are prosecutors who can negotiate with practitioners about withdrawing or amending charges or summaries or liaise with police informants to obtain further information.
These are the summary case conference managers contact details.
| prosecutions unit | telephone | fax | |
| Ballarat | 5336 6122 | 5336 6125 | ballarat.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Broadmeadows | 9302 8263 | 9302 8264 | broadmeadows.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Dandenong | 9767 7460 | 9767 7450 | dandenong.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Frankston | 9784 5611 | 9770 5997 | frankston.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Geelong | 5225 3254 | 5221 5020 | geelong.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Heidelberg | 9450 8160 | 9450 8170 | heidelberg.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Melbourne | 8628 3200 | 9670 5473 | melbourne.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Moorabbin | 9090 5888 | 9090 5899 | moorabbin.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Neighbourhood Justice Centre | 9948 8715 | 9948 8719 | neighbourhoodjustice.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Ringwood | 9871 2777 | 9871 2755 | ringwood.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
| Sunshine | 9313 3334 | 9313 3337 | sunshine.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au |
Magistrates’ Court Coordinators contact details are still available on the Magistrates’ Court website.
Lawyers might also need to email the police informant. Criminal Procedure Act 2009 s 18 provides that the informant should provide an email address for service of documents. Another alternative for contacting police if you don’t have their STMP email address is to use the format vp#####@police.vic.gov.au, using their five-digit registered number in place of the hashes. (For this to work, you do have to include the vp in the email address you type.)
A formal process for case conferencing is what the profession has been after for years – unfortunately some Prosecution Officers are not allocating appropriate resources to make it work e.g I have rang Dandenong Prosections numerous times to have a case conference and have been told every time there is no on available and ring back another time.
A formal process for case conferencing is what the profession has been after for years – unfortunately some Prosecution Officers are not allocating appropriate resources to make it work e.g I have rang Dandenong Prosections numerous times to have a case conference and have been told every time there is no on available and ring back another time.