Hamilton Police Station yesterday adopted an interview procedure which has already been used for 15 years in the UK.

Police Superintendent Roseande Young and Sergeant Andy Morgan were at yesterday's unveiling of a new tape-recording machine to be used to interview suspects in Hamilton.

"The UK has been doing tape-recorded interviews since 1990," Sgt. Morgan said yesterday. "So the technology has been around for a long time, but it certainly has taken the criminal justice system some time to move towards this point."

Bermuda's legislation on tape-recording interviews is lifted straight from theUK's Police Criminal Evidence Act, Sgt. Morgan said, which gives Bermuda's Police a rigid framework to work within.

"We now have the Hamilton Police Station as a designated facility for audio tape interviewing of persons who are brought into custody or give statements," Supt. Young said.

"It is very cost effective in terms of time for officers doing interviews and gives the officers more support in terms of relying on their evidence in court. It is very difficult to challenge."

Sgt. Morgan said Hamilton's new machine is the next step in the phased implementation of tape recording of interviews with suspects.

The Commercial Crime Department started tape recording interviews in October 2001, he said and five other Departments are online, including the Serious Crime Unit, Narcotics Department, Western CID, the Airport Police Station and now Hamilton.

"The greatest amount of Officers in the Service will now be conducting tape recorded interviews," he said.

There are three soundproofed interview rooms in Hamilton Police Station as well as alarm systems.

"Every word that they say is on tape so there can be absolutely no doubt what was said in the course of the interview," he said.

Unlike other jurisdictions, the Bermuda Police Service do not video-tape interviews, however, they said it will be a natural progression.

"The advantages are immense compared to written statements, " Sgt. Morgan said.

Three tapes are recorded simultaneously. One of those tapes is chosen by the suspect and that becomes the master tape. The master tape is sealed fully around its case with a label and that is signed by the Police Officer, the suspect and anyone else present in the interview room, Sgt. Morgan said.

Mumbling and incoherent statements will be avoided.

"We do not want people to not to use slang, or language they are comfortable with in speech but they Officer may well ask them to repeat something for clarity, ask them to explain what they mean by a slang word," Sgt. Morgan said.

As soon as a suspect comes into an interview room, they are told about the microphone on the wall, he said.

The suspect's lawyers are allowed in the interview room and the Bermuda Bar Council has been a proponent of tape-recording for years, he said.