The Scottish Government is rolling out a “world-leading” initiative to share digital evidence nationwide.
It says the Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) will mean fewer victims and witnesses having to attend court, plus cases coming to court and concluding quicker.
The £33m investment will be made over 10 years and will allow police officers, prosecutors, defence lawyers, court staff and judges to access a secure, unified system to collect, store, process and manage evidence – “from crime scene to court room.”
It was piloted in Dundee between January 2023 and April 2024. During this period, around 19,500 pieces of evidence were handled through the DESC. It said this freed up almost 500 hours of police officers’ time.
It’s now being expanded to Tayside and Forth Valley, before a phased national roll-out, which is expected to be completed by Autumn 2025.
“This is a world first for Scotland – a truly transformational programme where digital evidence is managed securely from crime scene to court room, benefitting victims, police officers, prosecutors, defence lawyers, court staff and judges,” explained Justice Secretary Angela Constance.
“During the successful pilot in Dundee, DESC allowed justice system partners to collect, manage and share digital evidence in a streamlined and efficient way, helping to get cases resolved more quickly. It has also freed up a significant amount of time for police officers, creating additional capacity for frontline policing.”
DESC handles material including CCTV footage, photographs, and data and other materials from computers and mobile devices. This will later be expanded to include documents and recordings of police interviews.
“The national roll-out of DESC is a significant step forward in modernising the collection, management and secure storage of digital evidence. Until now, police officers have relied on transferring digital evidence such as mobile phone images or CCTV onto USB sticks or discs, before delivering them to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service,” explained Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs.
“Through DESC, officers can obtain and share digital evidence securely and efficiently, saving them time and reducing delays. This supports victims and witnesses to achieve faster justice outcomes. The national roll-out will also provide the groundwork for further modernisation of the criminal justice process including supporting the introduction of body worn video for frontline police officers.”
Andrew Laing, Deputy Head of Local Court, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, added:
“Being able to see CCTV evidence of an assault or shoplifting taking place, or Ring doorbell footage of a person committing an act of domestic abuse as soon as the matter is reported by police has allowed prosecutors to make better and quicker decisions and faster sharing with the defence to enable the early resolution of cases.
“COPFS and criminal justice partners in Police Scotland, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the defence community and judiciary will continue to work to transform the justice system and ensure cases move through the system as efficiently as possible, with speedier outcomes and significantly less inconvenience to victims and witnesses.“
DESC is initially handling evidence related to Summary cases. Solemn cases will be included at a later date.
