Cloud computing on police digital forensic investigations

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.031774

I note you seek access to the following information:

Q1. How many cases did your digital forensics unit deal with each year, over the last ten years (or if the last ten years of data is unavailable, please supply as many years as is held)?

Q2. For the last ten years (or if the last ten years of data is unavailable, please supply as many years as is held), please supply the totals of crimes not recorded as an online crime and their outcome data

Q3. For the last ten years (or if the last ten years of data is unavailable, please supply as many years as is held), please supply the totals of crimes recorded as an online crime and their outcome data

Q4. How many digital investigations are classed as involving retrieving evidence from online cloud based services?

Q5. Do you utilise an external party for cloud forensic investigations?

Q6. How many personnel do you have in your digital forensic teams?

Q7. Are you looking to increase digital forensic personnel or budget over the next 3 years?

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Q1 - How many cases did your digital forensics unit deal with each year, over the last ten years (or if the last ten years of data is unavailable, please supply as many years as is held)?

The data supplied is for all examinations carried out in Forensic Services:

2020-12,603,
2021-17,826,
2022-16,901 and
2023(7 months) – 9312

Q2 - For the last ten years (or if the last ten years of data is unavailable, please supply as many years as is held), please supply the totals of crimes not recorded as an online crime and their outcome data

Please see attached data.

Q3 - For the last ten years (or if the last ten years of data is unavailable, please supply as many years as is held), please supply the totals of crimes recorded as an online crime and their outcome data

Please see attached data.

Q4 - How many digital investigations are classed as involving retrieving evidence from online cloud based services?

12 cases since 2019

Q5 - Do you utilise an external party for cloud forensic investigations?

No

Q6 - How many personnel do you have in your digital forensic teams?

303

Q7 - Are you looking to increase digital forensic personnel or budget over the next 3 years?

Our personnel is on track to reach circa 350 by April 2024.