Use of digital forensics in policing

What is it about?

In-depth knowledge about national approaches to using digital evidence as part of investigative strategies is scarce. A clearer insight into the organisational barriers and professional challenges experienced, alongside a more detailed picture of how digital evidence can help police investigations are required to empirically substantiate claims about how digital technologies are changing the face of criminal investigations. Drawing on ethnographic and interview data collected as part of an Economic and Social Research Council funded project on the application of digital forensics in policing in England and Wales, this paper examines the changing face of investigations in relation to escalating digital demand. The paper focuses on the introduction of digital media investigators to support investigating officers with the collection and interpretation of digital evidence. The analysis presents the national and regional organisational parameters of deploying digital expertise in criminal investigation and examines some of the challenges of of the role, through testimonies from digital media investigators, digital forensic practitioners, investigating officers and police managers. The paper contributes to a growing body of literature on the understanding of digital evidence in police investigations, with a situated, empirically grounded perspective on the suitability of current organisational arrangements as experienced by key stakeholders in the criminal justice system.

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Photo by Philipp Katzenberger on Unsplash

Photo by Philipp Katzenberger on Unsplash