FOI 678-2025 / Jul 2025 / Interviews
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 678-2025
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 2nd July 2025. Please find your request, and the Warwickshire Police responses, set out below:
This freedom of information request relates to Record of Taped Interview (ROTI) and Record of Video Interview (ROVI) transcripts of police-suspect interviews. Some of the questions were included in a 2022 FOI request on the same topic, and some new questions focus on the use of speech technologies. Given the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence in the last three years, please could you provide answers to the following questions?
- How many ROTI/ROVI transcribers are currently employed by your police force?
Q1 response: 5 FTE
- 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?
Q2 response: Employed by Warwickshire Police.
- What, if any, formal or informal guidance are ROTI/ROVI transcribers provided with for the purpose of producing transcripts?
Q3 response: In house training by experienced transcribers, transcripts are then reviewed for accuracy by the interviewing officer.
- 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?
Q4 response: Both Crown and Magistrates Court
- Does your police force use, or are you planning to use, automatic transcription systems to produce ROTI/ROVI transcripts?
Q5 response: Yes, used in some cases, transcripts are then manually checked and amended where necessary.
- 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?
Q6 response: Existing 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)?
Q7 response: No, our response is therefore ‘no information held’.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as accurate as possible.
Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of complaint.
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Officer
Freedom of Information Unit
Warwickshire Police
PO Box 4
Leek Wootton
Warwickshire
CV35 7QB