Evidence Services
Impact has been selected by the Crown Prosecution Service as the sole supplier for the rental of audio visual and videoconferencing products in courts in England and Wales and is also a framework supplier for scanning and electronic evidence preparation.
The Case for EPE
The published Strategic Plan for the Criminal Justice System (2008/2011) calls for the criminal justice processes to be accelerated and simplified by the adoption of modern technology and, moreover, that delays in court will be reduced by the way in which cases are managed and presented. This will aim to deliver two key benefits.
A significant reduction in time delivering evidence quickly and efficiently, allowing more cases to be heard per court. Gaining more secure convictions by presenting complex evidence in a visual way to the jury to aid their understanding of the evidence.
Impact has been at the forefront of working with both police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service to develop relevant solutions which meet the above criteria. EPE allows many differing forms and types of evidence to be placed into an encrypted multimedia presentation which is specifically tailored towards the needs of the case. In the court environment, evidence can be accessed with ease and presented with simplicity to the jury which in turn increases interest retention and critically understanding.
Impact Transcription Services
Impact and its partners have been delivering a range of analogue transcription services to a number of police forces and other government organisations for a number of years and understand PACE Interviews and other law enforcement transcription requirements. Staff involved in delivering these services are either former police officers or are trained by former police officers focussing on looking at the skills required, the sensitive nature of the service and the need for accuracy and speed. All transcripts are proof read not just quality assured, by experienced professionals. All work would be conducted within a secure environment and all data is handled in accordance with the Government Protective Marking Scheme (GPMS).
Impact are also at the forefront of the move to digital recording and transcription and offer a range of services for digital original content including a secure return of file data using its DropZone file transfer technology.
InQuestor Server - Digital Case Management
Developed for investigating officers and CPS for large complex cases, InQuestor is a powerful digital repository for the information gathered as part of a major investigation.
Using web enabled technology; InQuestor can securely store hundreds of thousands of scanned documents, video and audio files, CCTV footage, multimedia, computer files and photographs relating to an investigation, saving them in a format that allows for the information to be searched and retrieved simultaneously by multiple authorised parties; in a matter of seconds. Designed around a Microsoft Windows™ interface and common components, InQuestor is incredibly easy to use, with a typical training session needing to last no more than ten minutes.
InQuestor is a portable device which can be located anywhere and providing up to 16 concurrent links to the data. When the case goes to court, InQuestor is simply moved typically into the court comms room from where it can be connected to using the courts network infrastructure.
Electronic Evidence Production – Scanning and Indexing
Our service allows fully searchable digital copies of documents that fulfil the strict legal requirements that the evidence look exactly as it did in paper form. Impact provides a range of secure scanning services for evidential court case documents. The service essentially provides a scanning facility for all material which will ultimately become part of a criminal Court Case. All staff are security cleared and we provide manage all documents under our ISO27001 Information security standard which manages the receipt of documents, transportation, storage, preparation, scanning, indexing, checking and return. Rigorous quality controls ensure the data you receive is true to the original and we can provide Continuity Statements where required.
However the key to this form of evidence production is the ability to electronically search all documents in and gain rapid access to any document via hyperlinked and bookmarked index’s. Our InQuestor Light and InQuestor Portable make searching and indexing simple and easy to use and both products are secure and encrypted to FIPS 140-2 standards. We also have the ability to securely transfer files electronically instantly via our DropZone file transmission and receipt service.
Electronic Evidence Production – Audio and Video enhancement
Impact offer a range of services to aid the restoration and intelligibility to audio recordings processing audio material from a wide range of formats and prepare them for subsequent evidential presentation in court. Our team use a range of digital enhancement techniques to remove background noise allowing the court to hear what was spoken and utilise infra-red headsets in court to optimise the reproduction and minimise any external sound.
For analogue and digital CCTV/surveillance material. we utilise the latest image processing and enhancement systems to produce the optimum quality video for use in Court. We can deal with all major analogue and digital formats presenting as A4 stills or edited compilations on VHS, DVCPRO and DVD.
Electronic Evidence Production – Graphic Presentations
Our Courtroom presentations are produced by our own experts and the material is objectively produced to the highest ethical standard. EPE allows the prosecution team to interact and control the information flow when presenting the case. All our work is presented in this way. Crime scene reconstruction, 3D scene scanning, 3D body mapping, Forensic Geometrics, Photography, maps, plans, and computer graphics are all authored to a standalone self-running file, containing a custom interface allowing access to the various elements of your court presentation.
