Police forces are unable to keep pace with technology when it
comes to digital forensics – and there is a backlog of more than
25,000 devices waiting to be examined, a new report has found.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue
Services (HMICFRS) examined how effective the police are at
providing digital forensics – capturing evidence from a range of
different digital devices, from smartphones to computers.
Inspectors concluded some forces were overwhelmed and did not
have a clear understanding of what digital forensics are. This
led to huge delays in examining devices, which had a knock-on
effect on both victims’ wellbeing and chances of a successful
prosecution. And there was no clear and coherent national plan
for improvement.
The inspectorate said victims face a postcode lottery with the
service they receive, with some forces starting digital forensic
examinations within weeks of a crime being reported, while others
took 18 months to begin capturing evidence in a similar case.
HMICFRS has made nine recommendations to help policing improve.
These include:
- an alternative operating model to provide effective and
sustainable digital forensic services to support police
investigations, designed by the Home Office, National Police
Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing and the private sector;
- appointing a national digital forensics policing lead to
oversee a programme of improvement;
- a Home Office review into digital forensics budget and future
funding; and
- an increase in the number of dedicated, competent and trained
digital media investigators available to advise investigators and
at crime scenes.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr
said:
“The rapid emergence of a digital society has created a huge
opportunity for police to gather new types of evidence and
identify criminals. But in our inspection, we didn’t see enough
examples of policing making effective and efficient use of
digital forensics.
“Many forces didn’t have a sufficient level of understanding of
the work involved to recover evidence from mobile phones. Delays,
lack of resources and lack of adequate training means some
victims are being let down and officers are missing their chance
to bring offenders to justice. During our inspection we found
more than 25,000 devices waiting to be examined, and this doesn’t
take into account all the devices already in the system.
“Some forces are showing promise, and we did see examples of good
practice. But we found little evidence of this good practice
being more widely shared and adopted by others. There is an
enormous gulf in performance that cannot continue – it is
unacceptable that victims in some force areas receive a
significantly better service than others.
“The demand in digital crime will only continue to grow, so
police leaders need to work with the Home Office and Crown
Prosecution Service to tackle this immediately. Our report makes
nine recommendations to address these issues. It is clear from
our inspection that victims cannot afford to wait any longer for
police to start taking this more seriously.”
