Database

Conventional ID parades were partially ineffective due to the complex arrangement that needed to be put in place when a parade was required. Typically the volunteers were the most difficult of these elements to locate as they not only had to be available at a specific location and time but they had to be similar in appearance to the suspect.

This issue alone led to the majority of ID parades being cancelled and re-scheduled at a later date. Any such delay could add to the stress of the witness and increase the time between the date of the incident and the moment a witness viewed the old fashioned line-up. These inefficiencies previously lengthened the criminal justice process. However the introduction of the VIPER^® system has overcome these obstacles and reduced the time taken to conduct parades.

It is now considered routine practice to conduct video identification parades using VIPER^® in a large majority of police forces in the UK. The depth and quality of the volunteer database provides the basis for these police forces to request over 20,000 video ID parades per year from the National VIPER^® Bureau. Each compilation assists the police in the investigation of crime and subsequently to bring criminals to justice.