Investigations & evidence · dashcam and bodycam files
A dashcam clip ends most arguments — as long as it still opens, and lands on the right desk while anyone can act on it. We pull deleted and broken recordings off SD cards and out of camera memory, then hand them over in a form Thames Valley Police or a claims handler can work with.
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| The problem | What's behind it | First move |
|---|---|---|
| Clips wiped from the memory card | Ordinary flash: the file stays put until something records over it | Eject the card now |
| The camera stayed on for the rest of the trip | Loop recording buries the clip exactly like a DVR | Turn the camera off |
| The clip opens to a black screen | A write cut short, or a worn card — often repairable | Stop using that card entirely |
| Protected event clips trapped on the unit | A proprietary container the camera won't release | We open and convert them |
| A bodycam crushed or drowned | The memory chip normally survives the shell | We read the chip and lift the video |
| An insurer or an officer needs it formally | Original files, an MP4, hashes, a note | Included as standard |
Every item gets its own case number on the day it lands here. An engineer traces the fault, gives you a plain assessment of what is realistically recoverable, and puts one fixed price in writing. The diagnosis is free, you are under no obligation, and chargeable work starts only when you say go.
Nothing is opened until the card or the camera's internal memory has been copied in full. Locked event clips are unpicked on that copy; what you sent us goes home untouched.
Deleted clips come back out of the copy; broken ones get their headers and indexes rebuilt until they play. A dashcam card is plain flash, so stopping its use early keeps the odds in your favour.
Driving-offence video goes to Thames Valley Police, through the national dashcam portal or the force's own upload page, and it goes within days: the 14-day notice rule waits for nobody. Insurance work leaves here packaged like any CCTV case — originals, a viewable MP4, hashes, a method note.
You get the full list of recovered files first, and nothing is charged until you approve it. Data goes back on fresh media, return postage paid, and the job stays open on our side until you confirm every file opens at your end.
The deadline that governs everything: most road-traffic offences run to a 14-day limit, and by the end of it the registered keeper must have been sent a notice of intended prosecution. That is why forces want road-user footage in days rather than weeks, and why each publishes its own cut-off — check what Thames Valley Police currently states before uploading. A clip recovered on day twelve still counts for something; on day twenty it usually counts for nothing.
Footage of a depot collision disappeared from a cab camera overnight. Imaging the card showed the file had been deleted, not written over. The clip came back inside a week, repaired and handed over with hash values — settling the insurance claim and the HR question together.
Usually yes, so long as it's authentic and relevant. Authenticity rests on the untouched original, its metadata intact, and a clear log of who held the file and when.
Upload it to Thames Valley Police through the national dashcam portal, or the force's own upload page. Have the vehicle registration to hand, expect to sign a statement, and don't sit on it — a notice of intended prosecution must go out inside 14 days of the offence.
Usually, yes. A dashcam card is plain flash memory, so a deleted clip stays put until the loop or fresh footage writes over the top. Pull the card, keep the camera switched off, and your chances hold up.
They record personal data, so UK GDPR is in play: a lawful basis, signage where it's practical, short retention and secure storage. Treat the clips as you would CCTV for evidence — keep the originals, hash the copies.
Loop recording writes over the old footage, and deadlines won't wait. Open a case now — the first look costs nothing and stays confidential.