FOI 418862
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 418862
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 2nd July 2025. Please find below the response to your request:
This freedom of information request relates to Record of Taped Interview (ROTI) and Record of Video Interview (ROVI) transcripts of police-suspect interviews. Please could you provide answers to the following questions?
- How many ROTI/ROVI transcribers are currently employed by your police force?
- Are ROTI/ROVI transcribers employees of your police force or is the work outsourced to an external agency? If outsourced, which external agency is the work outsourced to?
- What, if any, formal or informal guidance are ROTI/ROVI transcribers provided with for the purpose of producing transcripts?
- Does your police force produce ROTI/ROVIs (MG15s) for Magistrates' Court cases, or only for Crown Court? If not, what record of the suspect interview is provided for Magistrates' Court cases?
- Does your police force use, or are you planning to use, automatic transcription systems to produce ROTI/ROVI transcripts?
- If the answer to question 5 was "yes" - does/will the use of automatic transcription involve an automatic transcription system developed specifically for your police force or an existing automatic transcription system from an external provider?
- Does your police force use, or are you planning to use, automatic transcription systems to produce transcripts of other types of audio/video recordings (e.g. emergency calls, body-worn camera footage, witness interviews)?
Reply
West Mercia Police hold some of the information requested.
- How many ROTI/ROVI transcribers are currently employed by your police force?
6 full time equivalent posts
- Are ROTI/ROVI transcribers employees of your police force or is the work outsourced to an external agency? If outsourced, which external agency is the work outsourced to?
They are employees of our force.
- What, if any, formal or informal guidance are ROTI/ROVI transcribers provided with for the purpose of producing transcripts?
They are provided with onsite training/guidance and work is checked and sampled during the training process.
- Does your police force produce ROTI/ROVIs (MG15s) for Magistrates' Court cases, or only for Crown Court? If not, what record of the suspect interview is provided for Magistrates' Court cases?
We do not routinely provide any ROTI’s for Magistrates Court Cases only for Crown Court, unless deemed necessary for the charging review or trial purposes. ROVI’s should be provided for charging review purposes on all relevant cases.
- Does your police force use, or are you planning to use, automatic transcription systems to produce ROTI/ROVI transcripts?
We don’t currently but are planning to in the future.
- If the answer to question 5 was "yes" - does/will the use of automatic transcription involve an automatic transcription system developed specifically for your police force or an existing automatic transcription system from an external provider?
No information held
- Does your police force use, or are you planning to use, automatic transcription systems to produce transcripts of other types of audio/video recordings (e.g. emergency calls, body-worn camera footage, witness interviews)?
We do on occasions need to transcribe other material as listed.