Investigations & evidence · in-vehicle and body-worn video
Most disputes disappear as soon as a clip has been played, provided the file is able to open at the correct desk before time runs out. For cases where evidence has been erased and/or damaged on SD cards, we retrieve the evidence and present it in a format that a claims handler (or Thames Valley Police) could use. Memory soldered into dash cams / body cams is not taken on; if you're not sure what type of camera you have, ring us first.
Go through it with an engineer
0800 6890668
| The symptom | The likely cause | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Clips deleted (lost) from the card | Plain flash memory: the data remains in place until another write comes along | Remove the card now |
| The camera continued recording through the end of the trip | Each new lap of the loop will get closer to overwriting it | Switch the camera off |
| It will play back fine, however you won't have any pictures | A partial write or a card near the end of its life: can often be fixed | Put that card away forever |
| Clips of event-locked footage from the camera that are "stuck" inside the camera | The maker's own container which the unit will not relinquish | We extract and convert them for you from the card |
| A body camera that is either broken or has suffered damage due to waterlogging | In most cases, the flash chip lives longer than the housing | If soldered memory exists, it is not taken on. If there is a microSD (or other) card, we require a quote before receiving the card |
| Either an insurer or court wishes it documented/formalised | The original(s), MP4 format, hashes, a method note | Included with all cases |
Nothing is chargeable until you say yes. Every item gets a case number of its own immediately upon receipt, an engineer determines what has failed, and you get a clear picture of which files have a real possibility of being recovered. The single quote that follows is fixed, written down and does not cost anything.
No files will be modified until the entire card has been forensically imaged; then protected clips will be unlocked on that exact image. What was sent will leave our facility in the same condition as when it was received.
Deleted video/audio recordings are extracted from the image & damaged recordings have their headers and indexes repaired/rebuilt until they can be played by a media player. The card is simply plain flash memory, therefore, retiring it early gives you the best possible chance of extracting your evidence.
Video evidence of a driver committing an offence goes to Thames Valley Police via the national portal or their own upload form. Because there is a fourteen-day requirement for service of the notice of intended prosecution (NIP), it is essential that video evidence is transmitted within days. Insurance work will be packaged in a similar way to other types of CCTV cases: the original file(s) that were provided, a playable MP4 file, hash values, and method notes.
You don't get charged anything until you've confirmed and authorised that everything is fine after seeing the entire list of what was recovered. Any recovered items are returned via brand-new storage media and the postage costs for these are covered by us. We do not consider a project complete here until we receive confirmation that you have been able to successfully access and review every item you received back.
One time limit exists above all others: for most road traffic offences, a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) must be served upon the registered keeper within 14 days. This is why police forces desire to receive footage from road users within days, rather than weeks, and thus each force sets its own "cut-off" date: check the current Thames Valley Police cut-off date prior to transmitting any video evidence. A clip recovered on the twelfth day is still worth submitting; one recovered on the twentieth rarely is.
The video that was required for the insurance claim was gone overnight from a cab's camera. The card was imaged first, and this showed a deletion rather than an overwrite; an important distinction. Once repaired and hashed, the video was returned to the cab owner within a week. This video satisfied both the insurance company and the employee's personnel file at the same time.
Generally, yes, provided it is pertinent and verifiably authentic. Authenticity refers to whether or not the original file remains intact and unchanged in terms of metadata, and there exists a documented history of each person who has possessed it since.
Submit via the national dash cam portal, which passes it directly to Thames Valley Police, or alternatively submit through Thames Valley Police's own portal. Include the offending vehicle registration number and be prepared to sign a witness statement. As most offences require that the keeper receives a notice of intended prosecution within two weeks, you should move quickly.
Yes, it often can. The card is standard flash memory, therefore, once deleted, what was recorded will remain in place until overwritten by either the next cycle of recording (loop) or a subsequent journey. Remove the card from the device and leave the device powered off. Almost everything that remains will likely still be recoverable.
Recordings will contain personal information therefore they are subject to the UK GDPR regulations. This means you will need to identify a lawful basis for processing this information, have clear signs of your intention to use this data (where practical), have a reasonable retention policy for these recordings, and ensure that these recordings are stored securely. When using the footage as evidence, treat them as if they were CCTV. Keep original files; hash copies of original files; log all access/transfer of those files.
Recording in a loop is already overwriting your needed evidence, and the deadline will not move. There is no cost associated with opening a case today: diagnoses are free and remain completely confidential.