Recent reviews and inspections of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland have highlighted significant barriers to effective communication between the PSNI, the PPS and the NICTS. Can the Chief Constable explain what progress or investment, if any, has been made in relation to creating more efficient and collaborative systems? Of particular concern are incidents of incompatibility of body-worn video evidence at Court and the quality of ABE interview footage.
In 2018, a Digital Evidence Working Group was established with high level technical representatives from Public Prosecution Service, Department Of Justice, Causeway, Forensic Science Northern Ireland, National Information of Communication Technology Strategy.
PSNI is represented at this group by a Grade 6 ICS programme manager. The group is actively working towards making sure systems and processes are aligned within and between the relevant agencies. Causeway messaging has been modified to support transfer of the digital evidence (including body worn video evidence), in anticipation of the PSNI external sharing capability. This will negate the production of DVDs and potential incompatibilities.
In relation to the quality of Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interviews, there have been minor technical matters, which appear to relate more to the environmental setup with microphones and cameras. This has been raised in the recent Gillen Report into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland.
An ABE working group has been established to address these issues, headed by Superintendent, Public Protection Branch. The group has several objectives, one being to ensure that the standard of visually recorded evidence, in terms of quality of sound and captured image, meets the requirements of the court.