NSTIx challenge: Covert Evidential Footage
UK Law Enforcement seeks to find solutions for discreetly capturing AV evidence in pre-arrest, arrest, and post-arrest situations.
UK Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) officers in covert Surveillance Teams (STs) and Armed Response Units (ARUs) must follow national guidelines, which mandate the recording of first-person audio-visual (AV) footage leading up to an armed arrest and all subsequent overt actions. While overt AV recording methods like body-worn cameras are well understood, covert recording at the ‘Amber’ status (pre-arrest authorisation) is more challenging. UK Law Enforcement seeks to find solutions for discreetly capturing AV evidence in pre-arrest, arrest, and post-arrest situations.
The objective is to create a functional tool for Law Enforcement users, who will actively participate in the project and support field trials. Funding is available for development up to TRL7, a stage allowing commercial exploitation. While the primary market is in Law Enforcement, there’s potential for expansion into industries like Journalism, Healthcare, Sport, and Private Security Services. Background intellectual property (IP) from phases 1 and 2 will be shared under contract and NDA, while foreground IP remains with the solution provider, with ownership negotiations in the contract. Proposals should demonstrate expertise in engineering, AV technology, electronics, user-friendly design, wearables, body-cam development, and commercialization. They should leverage existing background IP rather than starting from scratch. The challenge is open to various entities, including businesses, universities, and research organizations, and encourages consortiums for collaborative projects.