POL00291026
POL00291026
The Post Office prides itself as being the most trusted brand on the High Street. The verdicts issued
by Justice Fraser in relation to the Common Issues Trial of 2018 and the Horizon trial of 2019
challenges that perception. Therefore, the NFSP is appalled by the sustained behaviour of Post Office
Ltd (PO) in light of the verdict that the Horizon system was not fit for purpose until very recently. By
implication of this verdict, PO has been systematically misleading the NFSP for years about the
reliability of the Horizon system.
As someone who owned and operated a Post Office for almost a quarter of a century and have used
Horizon since its inception in 1999, I am stunned that the Post Office placed my colleagues and I
across the country into a position where we could have lost our businesses, our homes, our
investment, our reputation and our liberty. However, for some of our colleagues this, the courts
have decided is their reality.
As mentioned by Justice Fraser in his verdict, the NFSP raised concerns to PO about problems our
members have experienced with the system; and repeatedly we have been told that the system is
robust and that user error is the primary cause of problems.
The fact that Justice Fraser considers the current version of Horizon to be robust is welcome news —
this will be a relief to serving subpostmasters. However, government must also ensure that, going
forwards, the status of Horizon is monitored and reported on transparently. It is vital that every
subpostmaster should feel confident that the investment they have made in their post office
business is not reliant on a flawed system. This will engender trust in the system and also the Post
Office.
The NFSP finds it incredulous that Justice Fraser comments on the evidence provided by Fujitsu in
not only this trial but also in previous trials and how they have attempted to keep evidence out of
court and possibly even from the Post Office, their client. Added to this, the assertion that the Judge
is so concerned about the veracity of the evidence provided in previous court cases that he is
referring them to the Director of Public Prosecution, begs serious questions over the involvement of
Fujitsu and also their responsibility to the claimants as a result.
Above all, PO must change the way it deals with the subpostmaster network. The NFSP has long-
argued that subpostmasters must not be treated as ‘guilty until proven innocent’ in the case of a loss
or shortfall. Unfortunately, this was the mantra of several high-ranking PO officials for many years -
something which was, ultimately, the root cause of the Group Litigation Order and the reason so
many subpostmasters’ lives have been disrupted and adversely affected.
However, we are pleased that that Nick Read has considered the case since joining the business in
September and has moved swiftly to ensure that those impacted are treated with the respect they
deserve. His desire to reset the relationship with Subpostmasters is welcomed along with how he
sees us collectively as central to the business along with our customers.
To that end the PO must work more collaboratively with subpostmasters to help ensure that
instances of loss or shortfall are minimised. This should be done through effective training,
engagement, relationship-building and a clear and easy processes for flagging and escalating
problems. And if losses are identified, the focus should be on resolution, not prosecution.