Trafford Council – modernising PACE Compliant Interview Recording
Trafford Council‘s Regulatory Services team faced a unique challenge when their CD-based interview recording system mysteriously disappeared. This unexpected event became the catalyst for their digital transformation journey, leading them to implement PACE-compliant Davidhorn’s cloud-based interview recording solution.
“We looked at our options and thought, digital is going to be so much easier,” explains Suzanne Whittaker, Regulatory Services Manager at Trafford Council. “Also, our IT within the Council is trying to push as much as possible down a cloud-based route for storage and data protection purposes.”
Summary
The Challenge: Trafford Council’s CD-based interview recording system mysteriously disappeared, forcing them to find a modern replacement for their regulatory services.
The Solution: Implemented Davidhorn’s cloud-based PACE compliant digital interview recording system across seven departments including Environmental Health, Trading Standards, and Environmental Enforcement.
The Results:
- High-Volume Capability: Handles up to 40 interviews monthly for busy departments like Environmental Enforcement
- Secure Sharing: Eliminated IT headaches with one-button sharing and full audit trails
- Cost Savings: Built-in transcription replaced expensive external transcription services
- Improved Case Management: Centralised storage for recordings and documents in one place
- 25-Year Evolution: Progressed from tape recorders to CDs to modern cloud technology
Key Quote: “The biggest benefit that we’re seeing compared with our previous equipment is the ability to share. It’s just removed that hassle.” – Suzanne Whittaker, Trafford Council
Implementation: Despite initial IT firewall challenges, the system now serves multiple departments efficiently. Officers quickly adapted after initial nervousness, realising “it’s just so easy to use.”
Unique Angle: A missing CD recorder became the catalyst for comprehensive digital transformation across regulatory services.
PACE Compliant Interview Recording in Trafford Council: A History of Evolution
The council’s interview recording systems have evolved significantly over the years. As Ms. Whittaker recalls, “When I first joined Trafford, which was about 25 years ago, we were using a tape recorder, it was the double tape recorder. That got upgraded about 10 years ago to a CD system.”
This latest transition to a digital solution represents the council’s commitment to embracing modern technology and improving efficiency across multiple departments, including Environmental Health, Environmental Protection, Private Sector Housing, Pest Control, Trading Standards, Licensing, and the Environmental Enforcement team.
Meeting High-Volume Demands with PACE Compliant Interview Recording Solution
The need for a reliable and efficient interview recording system is particularly crucial for departments like Environmental Enforcement, which handles, for instance, fly-tipping cases. To ensure that interviews conducted across the council can be used in the court of law, the recorder in use has to be PACE compliant – a requirement that Davidhorn’s solution fully meets.
“They probably do the most interviews, and they say that they can do up to 40 a month,” notes Ms. Whittaker. “Other teams, such as licensing, can conduct several interviews a month. In contrast, other teams may only need the equipment a handful of times in a year.”
With such varying usage patterns across departments, the cloud-based system offers the flexibility and reliability required to support all teams effectively whilst maintaining the strict compliance standards necessary for legal proceedings.
Transforming Case Management Through Digital Innovation
The implementation of Davidhorn’s digital interview recording system has significantly improved Trafford Council’s case management processes. “With case management, it’s a lot easier because you’ve actually got a place where you’ve got information stored, you’ve got the recording and any documents you need in the same place,” she explains.
However, the most substantial benefit has been the ability to share recordings securely. “The biggest benefit that we’re seeing compared with our previous equipment is the ability to share,” Ms. Whittaker emphasises. “Previously, this was a real issue for us.”
The council faced considerable challenges with their former CD-based system, particularly when responding to requests for interview copies. “Our IT team did not like us copying CDs because if somebody requested a copy of the interview, we would then have to try to find a way to copy the CD. And of course, they don’t let you plug anything into the network for data security.”
This limitation created significant obstacles in their workflow, which have now been eliminated. “It’s just removed that hassle now that actually there’s that button there that we can share it. And it’s fully audit trail.”
Cost and Time Savings Through Automated Transcription
The built-in transcription functionality offers substantial benefits for the council’s stretched resources. “Officers don’t have the time to transcribe their own interviews, so we then would have to go out and pay an external company to transcribe it, which, when finances are always being squeezed in the Council, it’s another benefit.”
By bringing transcription in-house through an automated system, Trafford Council can redirect financial resources to other critical services while reducing the administrative burden on their officers.
Navigating Implementation Challenges
The transition to the digital system was not without its challenges. The implementation process required close collaboration with the council’s IT department to address technical hurdles such as firewall configurations.
Another challenge was ensuring officers felt confident using the new system, particularly given the critical nature of PACE interviews. “I think there’s always going to be a nervousness, especially with a PACE interview, you don’t get to do it again if it goes wrong. That’s your one opportunity as an officer to get evidence that you can use in a court case if needed.”
However, these initial concerns have diminished as teams have become more familiar with the equipment. “The more that they have played around with it and started to use it, they’ve realised that it’s just so easy to use.”
Looking to the Future
As Trafford Council continues to embrace digital solutions, the Davidhorn recording system is playing a vital role in modernising its regulatory services. The council is now exploring additional functionalities, such as the visual recording capability, which represents a significant advancement from their previous audio-only system.
“Our IT team has loads of digital projects going on, so moving to a cloud-based system means they don’t have to be concerned with the storage and management of the data in this cloud-based solution,” Ms. Whittaker notes, highlighting the importance placed on these essential public protection services.
The transition to cloud-based interview recording exemplifies Trafford Council’s commitment to digital transformation, improving efficiency, and maintaining the highest standards in their regulatory functions despite the challenges of limited resources and competing priorities.
