13 January 2025
A new standardised CCTV witness statement has been developed for retailers to use when submitting video evidence to police in an effort to help better tackle retail crime.
The template, created by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) in collaboration with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), allows retailers to use Digital Evidence Management Systems (DEMS) when submitting CCTV footage in connection with an established criminal case.
Superintendent Patrick Holdaway, lead for the NBCC, said: “Many retailers have the ability to upload CCTV onto DEMS but there was a myriad of different statements being used by police forces. Following some workshops with retailers and associations including Bira, there was a call for a consistent statement format to be used to help retailers and police.
“The challenge was to develop a statement that could be accepted by all police forces. Through identification of best practice, the NBCC have worked with the CPS and police forces to create a standard version, which CPS are happy with.”
The new template witness statement can be downloaded from the NBCC website and will be accepted by all police forces across England and Wales. More details can be found on the NBCC’s website.
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