Digital Evidence Sharing Capability: DESC
The Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) is used across the criminal justice sector. The unified platform allows police officers, prosecutors, defence lawyers, court staff and judges to access a secure system to collect, store, process and manage evidence digitally – The objective is to modernise and streamline the justice process, ultimately achieving faster and more effective case resolution.
When evidence can be shared quickly, investigations move faster and repeat offenders are identified sooner. DESC, along with other criminal justice led initiatives will increase the likelihood of successful case outcomes by ensuring critical information gets to the right people quickly.
What is DESC?
DESC is a technology system that handles lots of different file types including CCTV footage from security systems, mobile phone video and audio recordings, mobile device photographs including screen shots and screen recordings.
Where a crime has occurred and is reported to the police, the enquiry officer will send a link from DESC to a chosen email address or mobile phone number of the person who is in possession of the digital evidence. Once received, the evidential data can be easily uploaded and certified through the DESC portal.
Universal benefits of using DESC:
- DESC removes the need for manual, physical transfer of evidence (USB, CD, paper copies) which saves time for witnesses and significant time for the police freeing up critical resources for front line duties.
- Providing police with prompt access to digital evidence allows for more focussed and timely investigation, resulting in the earlier identification and apprehension of offenders.
- By providing the police and prosecution with immediate and secure access to evidence, this facilitates earlier case assessment, onward disclosure to defence agents and decision-making such as early guilty pleas which in turn, reduces delay and the number of outstanding trials.
- Faster case conclusion with certified digital evidence can result in fewer court appearances for victims, witnesses and the police. Time savings aside, this helps minimise anxiety and inconvenience for those involved with a criminal case.
- The platform offers a secure, appropriately audited system with robust user controls to help maintain the integrity of evidence and chain of custody.
- It is an enabler for other criminal justice transformation bringing further improvements and efficiencies to victims of crime.
Why are Stakeholders important to DESC?
The police collect vast amounts of digital evidence each day. Organisations including Retailers (small, medium and large), Local Authorities, Government Agencies, NHS, Scottish Prison Service, Education, National Transport Services and Sporting Stadiums routinely engage with the police through DESC, therefore it is important that we do not revert to inefficient ways of working and continue to spread the word of DESC and its benefits.
DESC and Retail Crime
Police Scotland have set up a dedicated Retail Crime Taskforce to tackle retail crime across the country. One of their objectives is to stop retail crime by bringing perpetrators to justice.
By uploading and certifying your CCTV evidence directly to the police through DESC, it speeds up the investigation process, identification of offenders, and helps cases move to resolution faster. This often results in fewer court hearings and citations for those who witnessed the incident.
Evidence can be uploaded at a time convenient to the retailer and may remove the need for the police to physically attend to collect the footage. Local Authority organisations have found this to be particularly beneficial as appointments offered did not always align with their staff’s availability or operating hours.
What type of evidence is suitable for DESC?
- Multimedia – video, audio and images
- CCTV – public, private and business including ‘Ring doorbell’ solutions
- Dashcam footage
- Mobile phone capture – videos, image, screen and audio recordings
- Police Scotland 999/101 call recordings
- Police custody CCTV
- Police mobile images
There may, on occasion, be instances where file types or formats are not accepted by DESC. This is usually due to technology advancements and software updates. We will manage these instances by exception. The supplier of DESC continuously updates the list of accepted file types.
By supporting the use of DESC, retailers strengthen their capacity to prevent loss, accelerate police investigations and protect their customers and workforce.
Who are the main partners of DESC?
DESC is a collaborative programme of work funded by Scottish Government. The main partners are Scottish Government, Police Scotland, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to use DESC and is the data stored safely?
Yes, there are robust security controls in place and DESC is only accessible by approved personnel from Police Scotland, COPFS, and Courts (SCTS). Evidential data is disclosed to Defence Agents through COPFS Defence Agent Service (DAS). Access to DESC is fully audited and monitored on an ongoing basis.
Digital evidence is transferred and secured in a Cloud. The use of Cloud storage is not new technology for the UK Criminal Justice sector, however, DESC is a lead initiative for Scotland.
Extensive work across criminal justice partners and legal services has ensured that all required data security, protection controls and governance are in place and legally compliant.
DESC recognises the interest in data security controls and continues to engage with the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as required.
What are the benefits of DESC?
DESC will allow you to upload the evidence quickly and efficiently and you won’t need to wait for a police officer to collect digital evidence (CCTV, videos and images) from you.
Faster collection of digital evidence allows Police to make more timely investigations and share this with the prosecution at the earliest opportunity allowing for swifter justice for perpetrators.
For example, CCTV from a retailer can be immediately uploaded directly to DESC using the link that we will provide you with via email or SMS.
Is it easy to upload the evidence to DESC?
Yes, it has been designed to be a simple and straightforward process. You will be sent either an email or SMS (text message) by Police Scotland which contains a link, called a ‘community link’ or ‘citizen invite’ which you click and then follow the instructions. The enquiry officer should include all relevant information within the invite including their contact details.
A link to the Police Scotland ‘Privacy Information’ is available along with a disclaimer clearly setting out the terms of which any material submitted is subject to.
What happens if my CCTV system is not connected to the internet?
We are aware that there may be technical or security restrictions depending on how your system is set up including the size and scale. Recognising the wider benefits, we would ask you to consider whether the system can be updated or if there is an option to download within your premises and upload using another device/computer that is connected to the internet and can receive the invite(s).
A Local Authority Council recently implemented a solution within their CCTV office that gives them flexibility to upload when convenient and negates the need for the police to come on site each time evidential CCTV is requested relating to the investigation of crime.
