Dear All
As Microsoft teams appears to be the choice of conducting remote interviews by the MPS the failing seems to be that individual officers either do not have the authority or have not been trained to invite solicitors
as guests which they need to do in order to be able to connect with us.
I have tried to install teams as an individual user but it just sets up as skype which doesn’t appear to allow you to be connected to Microsoft Teams. As more and more interviews are conducted remotely then
we need to be able to be invited onto the police teams conferencing system.
On a Saturday duty on thames Bethnal green officer in case did not know about protocol but happy to comply. custody sergeants refused to use anything else other than Microsoft teams as they say it is not secure
even though officer in the case was happy to proceed by way of me being present on speaker phone. However custody sergeant said that the officer could not conduct the interview this way. I tried to call custody to make representations but they did not pick
up.
I was on duty yesterday at leyton and had 3 cases. None of the officers dealing knew about the national protocol emailed them all a copy and asked them to send to all their colleagues. The first officer tried
to use Teams to conduct remotely but could not connect to me and I now know why. Post interview I sent the below link to him and asked him to raise the issue with his superior officers which he was keen to do. The officer could not make it work and did not
have a work phone to use in interview and no one made a phone available. I wanted to raise it with the PACE inspector but by that stage the client just wanted to get on with interview without me so it proceeded without me using a prepared statement.
The other two cases I dealt with remotely by phone none of the officers had conducted a remote interview before.
Bethnal green custody seems to be putting up obstacles for the national protocol to be implemented. You can’t get through to Bethnal green at the moment so there isn’t even a chance to speak to the PACE inspector.
Pressure needs to be put on the NPCC to ensure that this protocol is being implemented by custody sergeants. I shall be sending feedback to the Law society about these experiences. The protocol will not work
if the infrastructure is not being put in place as a matter of urgency even if it just means buying some extra mobile phones to be made available to officers in interview.
Yours in unity
Louise james
Duncan lewis (freelance)
Many thanks
Louise James
Microsoft Teams guest access: Permissions, settings, and how to add
a guest - ShareGate
|
Louise James
Consultant Solicitor
DDI: 07504 977 310
Fax: 020 3119 0601
Branch: Dalston
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