Information about radio voice recordings

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.21.022387

I note you seek access to the following information:

1) How long are radio voice recordings kept?
2) Who supplied the Met with radio voice recording solutions in Dec 2020?
3) Are those recordings processed for voice to text purposes, eg to permit indexing?

Could you confirm or deny for me; the Met do hold recordings of officer's communications dating from 18 Dec 2020, including the talkgroups used by officers on Downing Street, and particularly their conversations with the control room?

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full and will respond to your questions as numbered:

Q1 - How long are radio voice recordings kept?

All audio recordings are currently kept for seven years

Q2 - Who supplied the Met with radio voice recording solutions in Dec 2020?

The MPS uses NICE Recording provided by BT.

Q3 - Are those recordings processed for voice to text purposes, eg to permit indexing?

Recordings are held in audio (voice) format.

Could you confirm or deny for me; the Met do hold recordings of officer's communications dating from 18 Dec 2020, including the talkgroups used by officers on Downing Street, and particularly their conversations with the control room?

Regarding the final part of your request, as noted in 1 above, the date of 18 December 2020 is within the seven year retention period for voice recordings. Therefore, any radio communications that took place between officers at Downing Street on this date, including with the Control Room, would be held by the MPS.