Police forces are switching from traditional interview recording methods in favour of more streamlined Digital Interview Recording (DIR), which can be centrally managed and used more efficiently as cases progress, reports Reliance High Tech.
Others, as well as police forces, may also benefit from the same new approach, the firm suggests. Reliance is working with such forces as Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Staffordshire this year, to roll out the DIR products from Indico Systems. As for how PACE-compliant interviewing is handled and evidence processed, for example it’s much easier for Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers and relevant agencies to access interviews, it’s claimed.
Simon Jones of Reliance says: “This new, software-based approach ensures that interview recording is managed correctly. Very little training is required to use it and the recorded evidence is stored centrally on a secure server.” According to Indico its DIR product offers consistency, with what it terms a common-sense user interface for those conducting interviews. Other doing interviews, including the Information Commissioners Office and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, have also begun using it. In fact anybody that needs to conduct interviews with potential suspects or witnesses may benefit, says Simon Jones. Reliance points to its provision of security systems and IT. The West Midlands Police (WMP) contract was signed last October after an long ‘Proof of Capability’ process, driven by WMP and supported by RHT and Indico Systems.
At the heart of the product is the Indico Streaming Server; this will act as the central hub into which all interviews are directed. These recordings will come from fixed and portable equipment and will cover a variety of interview types including PACE, ABE and ‘voluntary attendance’; the recorders will all contain the Indico Recorder Standard software. Critically, the solutions will facilitate a fundamental change to the criminal justice process – CPS lawyers and other relevant agencies will be able to access specific interviews over a secure web-based portal, saving thousands of hours a year in administration.
It’s important for suppliers to understand not just the technology but the criminal justice requirements governing this type of system and the complexities of working with multiple agencies, adds Simon Jones. “Whether it be suspect, witness or child protection interviews we have a thorough knowledge of what organisations need to achieve and the constraints that they are operating under.” The process of switching a police force over to the Indico DIR system, for example, is handled methodically. Typically it will take three to six months from scratch for a large force to adopt the new system, station by station, division by division. Jones says: “It’s a well proven process from pilot phase to full roll-out. And once a force has switched over to the new system it has the benefits of greater adaptability. It is better placed to meet changing requirements in the future because everything can be controlled centrally.”
