Capita secures contract to help cut costs and improve efficiency for police service

Capita Secure Information Systems ((formerly SunGard Public Sector) has reached an agreement with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) to be one of just three companies helping police services across the UK to speed up the interview recording process and free-up police time which can then be used on the front line protecting communities.

The Digital Interviewing Framework Arrangement allows forces across the UK to buy networked digital technology at a reduced cost from Capita Secure Information Systems. Digital technology, rather than audio cassettes, will then record and store police interviews. This will reduce both the time taken to share the interviews with all parties in an investigation and the cost of producing and storing them.

Paul Jobbins, director of criminal justice at Capita Secure Information Systems, said: “The police conduct more than two million interviews each year and nine out of ten of these are recorded on audio cassettes. Tapes are not only costly but interviews have to be transcribed and copied at least three times, a process that can take up to three weeks. Some forces can have as many as 750,000 tapes requiring storage and it’s estimated that up to 200,000 tapes are used per force each year, all of which need to be sorted and filed away.

“Digital recording services, like those supplied by Capita Secure Information Systems, mean that interviews can be recorded straight onto a secure digital network. The file can then be encrypted and uploaded to a secure server, allowing immediate access – but only by approved users. This initiative will not only reduce costs, at a time when public sector finances are under so much scrutiny, but will also make the whole interviewing process faster and more efficient.” 

Other benefits include:
•improving the quality of recordings and their value as evidence;
•giving teams in different locations access to live video streaming;
•storing interviews on CD/DVD, digital server or secure network, reducing the risk of recordings being lost or damaged;
•saving storage space.

Nick Deyes, head of information and communications development at the NPIA, said: “This framework arrangement is about using technology to help forces improve efficiency, security and reducing costs. It demonstrates the potential savings and value for money that the NPIA can deliver for the police service in these financially challenging times.

“However, this is not just about saving money. It is also about transforming and improving the way the police service and criminal justice agencies retain and retrieve evidence. Better use of information such as police interviews helps to speed up the criminal justice process and bring offenders to justice quicker.”

The digital interviews project forms part of the Information Systems Improvement Strategy (ISIS), a reform programme for the police service that will use IT as an enabler for business change. This will release savings and deliver operational improvements across policing and into the wider criminal justice system.

The Digital Interviewing Framework Arrangement is the result of collaborative working between Sussex Police, Devon and Cornwall Police, the Metropolitan Police Service and the NPIA.
The two other pre-approved suppliers are Damovo UK and Ultra Electronics AudioSoft.

Capita Secure Information Systems, which was acquired by the Capita Group in December 2010, is an existing supplier of ICT, radio network services and communication systems to the emergency services central and local government.

•Tel: Nick Oliver – 07725159067