2018-07-02 11:50
Dash cam owners can now submit footage directly to the police, following the launch of a free online portal linked directly to 17 police forces.
Dash cam maker Nextbase’s not-for-profit National Dash Cam Safety Portal (NDSP) allows drivers to submit footage of dangerous driving and complete an online form, which creates what police refer to as “gold standard” evidence for authorities to review. The portal accepts footage from all types of dash cam.
The NDSP builds on the success of Operation Snap, which started with North Wales Police before being adopted by the three other Welsh constabularies. The system streamlines the process of submitting video evidence of dangerous road incidents to police, cutting the time involved from an average of 14 hours to a matter of minutes.
The NDSP has the backing of Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police and West Midlands Police, with a further 11 forces signed up to the portal.
Police forces signed up to the NDSP
| Warwickshire | West Mercia |
| Avon and Somerset | Cheshire |
| Essex | Hampshire |
| The Metropolitan Police | Norfolk |
| North Yorkshire | Suffolk |
| Surrey | Sussex |
| Thames Valley | Dyfed-Powys |
| Gwent | North Wales |
| South Wales |
To submit footage, dash cam owners should head to the NDSP, where they can upload their footage and be guided through a questionnaire that automatically generates a witness statement. All submitted evidence is held encrypted on a secure server run by Egress Software Technologies, which counts government departments and defence contractors among its clients.
Nextbase is confident more of the UK’s 45 police forces will sign up to the scheme. Even if an incident occurs in an area covered by a police force not yet signed up, officers will still be able to access the footage if they choose to. Drivers can still use the online form that, when combined with their footage, can be submitted to the force in question independently of the portal.
Superintendent Paul Moxley from Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police said: “While the benefits to motorists of this ground-breaking Portal are clear, this convenience extends to police forces, since a process which previously took hours can now be reduced to a matter of minutes.
“The key in making this work for us has been determining a way of providing footage in an accessible format, whilst the creation of a witness statement is also integral to ensuring the process is as efficient as possible,” Moxley explained. “In embracing this new technology, it enables the concerned road user to help us positively influence driver behaviour to make our roads a safer place for all users.”
Richard Browning, Nextbase’s director, said: “Until now forces have not had the means to process this footage so the National Dash Cam Safety Portal has been developed with this in mind. The Portal allows all road users to submit footage captured on devices, such as dash cams, which will enable the police to reduce such offences, ultimately making the roads safe for all users.”
The NDSP has the support of road safety charity Brake, and bicycle charity Cycling UK. Joshua Harris from Brake called the portal a “fantastic initiative” and an “elegant solution, which enables the police to process this vital data without wasting their scarce resources.” Duncan Dollimore from Cycling UK echoed those sentiments, saying the NDSP is “a one-stop shop for the collation of evidence our forces can rely upon.”
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