Reading Council – Streamlining Investigations with Interview Recording Equipment
Reading Borough Council‘s fraud investigation team was facing challenges with their outdated interview recording equipment. The 10–15-year-old portable DVD burning solution was becoming unreliable, with concerns about its longevity and audio quality. Paul Davis, with his background in the Metropolitan Police, recognised the need for a modern, efficient system that would save time and reduce costs. To ensure that interviews done across the council can be used in the court of law, the recorder in use must be recorded with a PACE compliant recorder.
“We were still using the DVD burning solution with a portable machine that was quite old. The audio quality wasn’t that great, and there were concerns about the longevity of the kit,” explains Paul Davis from Reading Borough Council’s fraud investigation team.
Summary
The Challenge: Reading Borough Council’s fraud investigation team was struggling with a 10-15 year old portable DVD burning system that had poor audio quality and reliability concerns.
The Solution: After evaluating five different companies, they chose Davidhorn’s cloud-based digital interview recording system for its user-friendly design, reputation, and PACE compliance.
The Results:
- Time Savings: Eliminated DVD labelling, burning, and physical setup processes
- Cost Reduction: Built-in transcription replaced expensive external transcription services
- Storage Efficiency: Removed the need for physical DVD storage (previously kept for 6 years)
- Enhanced Workflow: Added features like real-time streaming for complex investigations, tagging significant moments, and secure sharing capabilities
- Multi-Department Impact: Now serves five council departments including Environmental Health, Licensing, and Planning Enforcement
Key Quote: “It’s been a breath of fresh air for everybody. We can’t believe how we’ve worked without this before, as everyone’s been using the same antiquated system.” – Paul Davis, Reading Borough Council
Implementation: Seamless process with strong customer support, transforming an outdated system into a modern, efficient digital solution that’s fit for purpose in today’s investigative environment.
The Search for Modern Council Interview Recording Equipment
Paul spearheaded the initiative to find a replacement system, collaborating with five departments across the council, including Environmental Health, Licensing, Planning Enforcement, and Private Sector Housing. After evaluating different companies through demonstrations of their hardware and software, Davidhorn emerged as the clear choice.
“I wanted to implement a new solution because we were still using the DVD burning system.” says Mr. Davis.
What ultimately convinced Reading Borough Council to choose Davidhorn was the user-friendly nature of the equipment, the cloud option and the company’s reputation.
“The kit looked really user-friendly, which was really important for us. We didn’t want anything that was going to be too complicated. Davidhorn is very reputable around the world and has a good background in this field,” he emphasises.
A Seamless Implementation Process
The transition to the new council interview recording equipment was remarkably smooth. Mr. Davis worked closely with Davidhorn to install the equipment in a PACE interview suite.
“Once we’d agreed everything and made the decision to go with the kit from Davidhorn, it was a fairly easy process. We had to provide all the schematics of the building and room, but the whole process was really straightforward. I had a really good rapport with the Davidhorn Customer Success team member, who was on the phone or at the end of an email if I needed something. It was all very seamless.”
Transforming the Interview Process
The new cloud-based interview recording system has revolutionised how Reading Borough Council conducts interviews. The team has embraced the technology enthusiastically, appreciating its ease of use and time-saving features.
“It’s been a breath of fresh air for everybody. The team have found it really straightforward. You set up your metadata prior to the interview, go to the interview suite, put in your PIN, hit the button, and record. When the interview is concluded, it gets saved onto the cloud,” Mr. Davis explains.
The system offers several advanced features that have enhanced the team’s workflow, including transcription services, tagging significant moments during interviews, and streaming capabilities for complex investigations.
“What is really helpful is where you can stream the interview to someone who’s not actually in the room, which is beneficial for complex investigations where we may want someone like an expert in a specific field observing the interview.”
Significant Time and Cost Savings
The switch to Davidhorn’s digital solution has eliminated many time-consuming processes associated with the old DVD-based system.
“Our time is so critical and having a recording solution like this saves a lot of time. In the days of using DVDs, you’re having to peel off labels to put onto the discs for master and working copies. Setting up the old PACE machine, plugging it in, getting the speakers set out – the new solutions save us so much time.”
The built-in transcription service is another area where the council is seeing benefits.
“We’re using the transcription feature, and I think that’s going to be evolving as it gets better. It’s still very good and it’s going to save us a lot of money because we previously used an external transcription company.”
Storage has also been simplified dramatically, eliminating the need for physical storage space for DVDs that must be kept for up to six years.
“We’ve got a huge cupboard full of DVDs, which we’re not going to have anymore. That’s really good for us. We can’t believe how we’ve worked without this before, as everyone’s been using the same antiquated system.”
Looking to the Future
As the team continues to explore the system’s capabilities, they’re looking forward to using additional features such as the sharing function to collaborate with their legal team, and they’re eager to see enhancements to the transcription service.
Overall, Reading Borough Council’s experience with Davidhorn has been overwhelmingly positive, transforming their interview process into something more efficient, reliable, and fit for purpose in the modern age.
