MPS invests £11m in digital forensics

Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said it will mean a “more efficient service for victims and faster results”.

An extra 100 specially trained digital forensic examiners will increase the MPS’s capacity to access all digital devices on every Basic Command Unit across London, speeding up the process for examination and analysis of the device.

Over the next three years, the force will also be increasing the number of ‘self-serve’ kiosks where officers trained in basic skills can download and secure vital evidence.

There are currently 93 kiosks across 39 police buildings already in place; the extra money will see this uplift to 125.

In the past year, 32,000 mobile devices were processed by officers via the kiosks, with more than 6,500 complex case submissions made to the MPS labs consisting of 11,600 mobile phones and other devices. Fifty-three per cent of cases were sexual and violence offences.

The MPS says as the technology is easily accessible to officers, it means the turnaround time for capturing the material is much quicker and devices can be returned to the victim sooner.

Digital forensic examiners, who provide technical support to officers, will train and offer refresher training to 240 officers a year on how to use the kiosk. Since 2016, 3,000 officers have been trained.

Dame Cressida said: “Extra staff and investment in the most modern and advanced technology and techniques will greatly enable frontline officers to deal with violent crime. We are bringing the technology out to staff across London, which will mean a more efficient service for victims, and faster results.

“Most crimes, including rape and child abuse and exploitation investigations, rely upon our expertise in handling, and interrogating the data from the devices.

“It is vital that we maximise the use of, and develop our technology, so that we are the best we can be in this fast moving environment.

“This investment will allow us to maximise the potential of digital forensics, helping us to catch more criminals, speed up investigations, build more successful criminal investigations, reassure victims and increase confidence in the justice process.”

The investment will also enable the MPS to increase the number of locally-placed digital hubs where the forensic examiners work from. These provide “enhanced support” to officers in extracting evidence from a range of digital devices from different vendors, including laptops, gaming devices, vehicle systems, even pacemakers and fitness trackers.

An extra four hubs are planned to bring the total number to 12. The MPS says this means these ‘one stop’ shops of “highly technical and experienced examiners” are accessible on the front line right across London, to assist in supporting investigators and allowing them to focus on other aspects of their inquiry.

The next three years will also see continual development of skills, and investment in equipment in the MPS’s centre of excellence ‘Laboratory Services’.

The MPS says this is where “technically challenging” audio and video cases, device repairs and extractions are required using “expert and bespoke methods to tackle the most complex investigation of the devices”.

“With digital forensics constantly changing, it is vital that we are up to date and even ahead of the criminals, in terms of advancements in technology,” said the MPS.