Met improves interview process for victims of crime with new technology

Met improves interview process for victims of crime with new technology

The Metropolitan Police Service is rolling out its new ‘Digital Interview Recording (DIR) kits’, in its commitment to put victims at the heart of investigations, as part of its New Met for London plan. The equipment eliminates the need to use DVDs and CDs and enables recordings to be made in police stations as well as in locations more convenient to victims of crime.

It’s a significant advance in the Met’s drive to equip officers with innovative technology to improve the efficiency of evidence obtained during interviews with victims, particularly women and girls affected by violence.

By facilitating swift access to professional-quality video and audio recordings, the portable DIR kits aim to enhance investigative outcomes, provide better support to victims, and deliver justice for Londoners.

The lightweight kits, easily carried underarm, can be employed to record interviews with suspects, victims or witnesses.

The footage is quickly and confidentially uploaded to a cloud-based system, ensuring immediate accessibility for stakeholders, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and senior Met leaders.

This streamlined process eliminates previous delays in accessing vital evidence, enabling faster investigations and helping the Met get offenders off the streets.

The kits, which have recently been distributed to specialist teams in the Met, including the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences and the Child Abuse Investigation Teams, reduce the need for victim-survivors to travel to a Met building to recount what happened.

Victims can provide their account in a more comfortable environment giving police the best chance of capturing better quality evidence to progress an investigation to catch a perpetrator.

Additionally, the DIR portable kits facilitate remote identification parades, allowing victims and witnesses unable to attend in-person to identify suspects.

Commander Stephen Clayman, lead for the roll-out of the Digital Interview Recording kits, said:

“The wider rollout of the fixed Digital Interview Recording equipment has so far proved very successful, eliminating the use of DVDs, providing additional functionality and ultimately saving officers and staff valuable time, with their interviews being available instantly.

“This represents one of the largest rollouts of this equipment nationally given the scale of the MPS. It has also provided additional opportunities, especially with the provision of portable Digital Interview Recording kits.

"It has helped us to listen and respond to victims’ experiences and use of the equipment has allowed us to capture evidence in an environment which puts the victims first, giving us the relevant and vital evidence we need to catch a perpetrator.

“This hopefully alleviates some pressure during what is already an incredibly hard process for them.”

The kits were launched by the Met’s Digital Data and Technology team in July last year and has been successfully piloted, paving the way for the Met to safeguard victims in way they’ve not been able to before.

Digital Interview Recording is used in the UK and further afield in Belgium, Poland, Luxembourg and America, and there are now approximately 160 deployments of portable kits across the world.

The kit was tested last summer, with several successful outcomes, including a female victim-survivor who had returned home to Poland following an aggravated burglary and sexual assault. The woman conducted an ID parade with Met officers at the British Embassy in Poland, which resulted in the suspect being located back in the UK, charged and remanded.

Detective Inspector Richard Lewsley, from the Met’s Rape and Serious Sexual unit in north west London, said:

“Our team were fortunate enough to be involved in the piloting of this crucial piece of kit which allows front line officers to offer a service which puts victims first.

“The device demonstrates we are committed to supporting victims’ needs and enabling them to provide evidence whilst giving our officers the right tools to do their jobs effectively.

“DIR gives officers the ability to operate efficiently, receive a high-quality product and relay it back to an investigation team within minutes of an interview finishing.

“It’s shown it can alleviate stress on my officers by giving them the capability to conduct interviews and better manage their time in ways they wouldn’t have been able to do before.

“The time saved in capturing evidence, as well as the choice offered to victims to decide where and when they provide evidence, makes this device invaluable.

“DIR is not limited to one crime type and I'm sure, in time, many will benefit.”

James Higgins, Project Manager with the Met’s Digital Data and Technology team, said:

“We have collaborated with front-line officers and the supplier to develop an advanced, secure and comprehensive Portable Interview Kit which represents a transformative approach to interviewing, offering substantial benefits to the Metropolitan Police and enhancing the conduct of victim and witness interviews.

“The kits empower Met interviewing officers to confidently gather high-quality evidence and allows secure transmission from anywhere in the world back to the investigative team for prompt analysis and fast-time action.

“DIR utilises the same interview software and input screens as the Met’s new Fixed Interview Room system, which is being implemented across the Met, adding to significant changes in business processes and saving the Met money.”

The equipment has also been used in a variety of locations including prisons, mental health secure units, hospitals, hotels, schools, care homes and overseas in government or law enforcement buildings.

As part of our A New Met for London plan, the Met is determined to fix its foundations to ensure officers and staff can succeed to better serve Londoners, equipped with the best tools to cut crime. These kits offer the best technology available so officers can use their powers precisely while maintaining trust and upholding high standards.

Notes to Editors

Read our A New Met for London plan: A New Met for London

The Met is determined in its mission to ensure women and girls feel safe wherever they are. We committed as part of our Violence Against Women and Girls action plan to improve how we communicate with the public about what we are doing, which included sharing progress on our plans and being clear on what success means. Improved trust, safer places and taking a victim-centred approach to crime is at the heart of that plan: Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) action plan | Metropolitan Police

Find out more on how to report a rape or sexual assault https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/how-to-report-rape-and-sexual-assault Always call 999 in an emergency.

If you’ve been a victim of rape or sexual assault, charities and support agencies can offer help and guidance:

Rape Crisis: 08085002222  

National Rape and Sexual Abuse Helpline: 0808 802 9999   

Survivors UK: 0203 598 3898 info@survivorsuk.org.  

Samaritans: 116 123 jo@samaritans.org