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Publication - Advice and guidance

Guidance on Joint Investigative Interviewing of Child Witnesses in Scotland

Published
19 December 2011
Topic
Law and order
ISBN
9781780455914

Good practice guidance for police officers and social workers who are carrying out joint investigative interviews with child witnesses

View supporting documents Supporting documents

APPENDIX F: Accommodation and technical specification

Joint investigative interview suites are categorised as A, B and C. There is a mix of suites across the country. Location and category of suite were determined as a result of local consultation.

The following table provides the accommodation standard expected in each category along with the level of equipment to be installed in each. The requirements are not prescriptive and may vary between locations. For example some category A suites may not have a dedicated waiting room and in relation to technical standards the number of microphones will be dependent on factors such as the size and acoustic properties of the room.

All JII suites should comply with disability access requirements and the Equality Act 2010. They should also fully enable any investigative interviews with children with additional support needs or disabilities.

Category

Accommodation standard

Technical standard

A
  • Suite will consist of a dedicated interview room, monitoring room and waiting room
  • There will be a fixed digital recorder assigned to the suite
  • These suites will be dedicated to joint investigative interviews
  • These suites will give the flexibility to have one or both interviewers within the interview room
  • Desktop PC with monitor sited within the dedicated monitoring room
  • Wide angled cameras (x2)
  • Pan, tilt & zoom camera (x1)
  • Omni directional microphones (x6)
  • Covert earpiece and transmitter
  • Transcription kit

B
  • Suite will consist of an interview room fitted with cameras and microphones
  • Typically these suites will be in areas where they will not be in regular use (or it has not been possible to identify premises with space for a dedicated monitoring room)
  • The digital recorder will be provided by one of the mobile recorders, which will plug into a data point within the room
  • Both interviewers will be within the interview room with one performing the role of second interviewer
  • Wide angled cameras (x2)
  • Pan, tilt & zoom camera (x1)
  • Omni directional microphones (x6)
  • Covert earpiece and transmitter

C
  • These are rooms, which have been pre-identified as suitable to set up mobile equipment
  • Rooms will be in quiet locations to minimise disruption to recordings by external noise
  • There will be no equipment installed in these rooms
  • No equipment will be installed in these rooms
  • Mobile kit will be set up within these rooms.

Mobile
  • Mobile kits provide full operational flexibility with the ability to be set up in any location
  • Laptop digital recorder
  • 2 cameras (with built in microphones)
  • Omni directional microphone
  • Robust carry case
  • Tripod (desktop and floor).
  • Power from single socket
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