Overview

Audio evidence is common in criminal investigations, and can come from numerous sources such as bodyworn cameras, CCTV, voicenotes, mobile phone videos, police interviews, or covert recording devices. This two hour online workshop will provide attendees with an introduction to the types of forensic audio examinations that can be conducted and how these can aid investigations. 

The course will provide participants with:

• An overview of the range of forensic audio examinations, including enhancement, authenticity analysis, determining the time and date of a recording, sound source determination and location, speaker comparison, forensic transcription, and deepfake detection. 

• An understanding of the questions that can be addressed through these analyses, the situations where the analyses are appropriate, and the types of results that might be produced.

• Guidance on the handling of audio evidence, and how incorrect handling can impact the results of forensic examinations. 

More details about the course, including booking information, can be found on the University of York CPD page.

Overview

Voice recordings can often become key evidence in criminal investigations. The growing availability of recordings means it is increasingly important that this evidence is handled appropriately and comparisons are carried out using tested and validated methods. In this two hour online workshop, attendees will be provided with an introduction to forensic speaker comparison (FSC), the most common forensic examination undertaken by speech and audio practitioners.

The workshop will provide participants with:

• An introduction to forensic speaker comparison 

• Current methodological practice

• Ongoing developments within the field

• Current regulation and standards for this discipline. 

More details about the course, including booking information, can be found on the University of York CPD page.

Overview

This two hour online workshop will explore frameworks for evaluating the strength of forensic comparison evidence, with a focus on forensic speaker comparison. Specifically, we will provide an overview of the likelihood ratio framework and discuss how this approach effectively separates the role of forensic analyst and trier-of-fact in the context of criminal justice. We will also discuss data-driven approaches to computing likelihood ratios, using case-specific data and examples from both phonetic analysis and automatic speaker recognition systems. In addition, this workshop will outline challenges associated with the effective and appropriate evaluation of the strength of forensic speaker comparison evidence and highlight potential approaches to addressing these challenges.

The course will provide participants with:

• Increased understanding of the likelihood ratio framework

• Awareness of propositions relevant to forensic comparison, and the effect these propositions have on the resulting strength of evidence

• Knowledge of how to compute a likelihood ratio with relevant data

More details about the course, including booking information, can be found on the University of York CPD page.

Overview

This two hour online workshop will explore the value of speech technology to policing, with a focus on automatic transcription and speech recognition. This technology offers opportunities to support those across policing who rely on written records of spoken interactions. In this workshop we will explore how written records are used across policing and demonstrate the capabilities of speech recognition when tested with realistic data. In addition to considering opportunities, this workshop will also address limitations associated with AI-based transcriptions and highlight conditions which are likely to be problematic. 

The course will provide participants with:

• Increased understanding of automatic speech recognition

• Awareness of key performance metrics and what these mean

• Knowledge of the differences between human and machine transcription 

More details about the course, including booking information, can be found on the University of York CPD page.