Mobile Evidence Collector is a simple but effective tool that allows police forces to receive
and store information captured on mobile phones from the public, without the need for any
specialist equipment.
Whether it's a video that might help identify a culprit or a picture revealing details of
a crime scene, officers can access the database of submitted evidence from anywhere, via a
secure website.
How it works
- Still pictures or videos taken on a mobile phone are sent to an advertised e-mail
address (e.g. crime@police.gov.uk).
- The information is received within seconds, and automatically stored on a highly
secure website.
- Authorised personnel can access the database of submitted information using the
website.
To send in evidence, all the public needs to remember is a single e-mail address. This could
be publicised via a promotional campaign or local appeal boards, and integrated into any
existing media aimed at encouraging people to come forward with evidence.
Robust security measures (including 128-bit encryption) ensure that only authorised
personnel can access the submitted information.
Standard Features
Mobile Evidence Collector enables a police force to:
- Automatically gather and store mobile phone evidence from members of the public.
- View items of collected information (such as images and videos) from anywhere, with
just the use of an internet browser.
- Access the evidence database at any time and from anywhere through the Internet.
- Maintain an audit log, showing the date and time at which evidence has been submitted.
- Assign crime or case reference numbers to evidence.
- Categorise evidence according to various different criteria (e.g. type of crime etc).
- Search for and filter evidence efficiently, using various criteria such as the
submitter's e-mail address or mobile number, or the date/time of the submission.
- Send copies of collected evidence to an external source, such as an officer’s e-mail
address or internal force website at the touch of a button.
- Download evidence to portable media (e.g. USB drive, CD, DVD) for presentation in
court.
- Download pieces of evidence for forensic analysis (once submitted, evidence cannot be
altered and remains in its original form).
- Customise the service to suit their particular needs.
- Set up automatic e-mail alerts to be triggered when new items of evidence are submitted.
- Allow related text to be submitted alongside videos or photos. This could include
details such as names of people who could help with the investigation, car registration
numbers etc.
Advanced Features
Text Mining – A proactive tool allows keywords (which could be car
licence plates, names of criminals or street names) to be linked into the system. If, at
any point in the future, evidence relating to a keyword arrived in the database, an
automatic alert would be instantly sent to the appropriate officer(s), informing them that
new evidence concerning this keyword had been received.
Installation and cost
Mobile Evidence Collector is sold as a fully managed service, whereby no purchase of
hardware or software is required. We provide a secure website (online banking standards)
which enables users to log in and access this system with just a standard web browser.
Setup takes around 14 working days.
Installation Cost: £5000 +VAT
Monthly charges: £65 per month
Future features
Mobile and internet technologies are advancing and changing all of the time, and Crosby
has recently developed a version of Mobile Evidence Collector which is configured to
operate using "shortcodes" instead of e-mail addresses. In essence, this means
that evidence captured on a mobile phone can submitted in the same way that picture or
video messages are sent from one mobile to another.
This technology is not yet fully available due to certain handset and some mobile operator
restrictions. However, with changes due later this year, this functionally will be phased in
as part of the product.
FAQ
How was this developed?
Mobile Evidence Collector was (and still is being) developed in conjunction with local
police forces, who are trialling the product and helping to suggest improvements and new
features which might be useful in fighting crime. Consequently, we are continually adding
new, rigorously tested functionality to the system.
How secure is the evidence and why is it stored on a website?
Mobile Evidence Collector was developed with the aim of creating a powerful and effective
crime–fighting tool that could be used by any police force in the world.
We appreciate that not every force has access to advanced computer systems, fast internet
connections and unlimited disk space, so we aimed to develop a service which would be readily
accessible without compromising on the essential element of security.
Using web technologies and the same security measures as those used in online banking, we
have been able to create a service that is both totally secure (employing 128–bit
encryption standards) and can be accessed from almost any system and location (provided
valid login details are supplied).
With just a standard web browser, authorised personnel can securely view and organise
submitted evidence at any time, from a local police station, courtroom, or even a mobile
police station or patrol car.
Will members of the public be charged for submitting evidence?
Yes – mobile handset owners are charged a small amount by their operators for sending
pictures and videos. However we are currently in negotiations with mobile phone companies
concerning a "free text" service, whereby a local police force can pick up the
cost of any evidence submissions.
Can the evidence be modified at all?
No, the evidence cannot be modified in any way whilst on the system. A complete audit trail
shows how many times a piece of evidence has been viewed and downloaded, including the login
details and IP addresses of everyone who has accessed it.
What does the system do to avoid being flooded with spam?
Mobile Evidence Collector has in–built functionally that automatically prevents a high
number of submissions being received from a single telephone or mobile number during one
day. The system also provides flexible controls which enable you to adjust the amount of
evidence that can be collected from any given number, and set the total number of
submissions that can be made during a specified time frame.
Interested? Contact us today to
find out more.
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