The UK’s National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) has announced the introduction of a standardised witness statement to speed up investigations into retail crime.
Developed in collaboration with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and local police, the statement aims to simplify the process of submitting video surveillance reports. [closed circuit television] Evidence through digital evidence management systems (DEMS).
Traditionally, retailers have faced challenges in providing video surveillance footage to the police, as requirements often vary across jurisdictions.
A standardized witness statement addresses this problem by providing a clear and comprehensive template that ensures that all necessary information is captured.
This in turn allows law enforcement to process evidence more efficiently and build stronger cases.
“While many retailers can upload CCTV data to DEMS, different billing formats have been used by police. Workshops with retailers have highlighted the need for a consistent billing format that helps both retailers and police,” Superintendent Patrick Holdaway, head of the NBCC, said in a statement.
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“The challenge was to produce a statement that would be acceptable to all police forces. By identifying best practice, the NBCC worked with the CPS and police forces to develop a standard version that met CPS requirements.”
The standardised witness statement is in line with the recommendations of the Retail Crime Action Plan, which highlights the efficiency and security of using DEMS for the exchange of digital evidence.
By ensuring that video surveillance recordings are submitted in a timely manner and in a consistent format, retailers can contribute to faster investigations and more effective crime prevention strategies.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, praised the NBCC’s efforts:
“We have been asking for some time for additional guidance and clarity on how businesses can best use CCTV images when reporting crime. Shoplifting remains a problem and more and more businesses have invested in CCTV to protect their staff and their goods. We welcome this initiative and urge all retailers to use it when reporting crime so that perpetrators are prosecuted.”
The NBCC recommends that all retailers use the standardized witness statement when reporting retail crimes.
By streamlining the process for producing CCTV evidence, retailers can play an important role in fighting crime and protecting their businesses.