Examination of digital devices

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.034179

I note you seek access to the following information:

1. Please provide the number of digital devices currently awaiting examination by, or for, the force.

2. Please provide a breakdown of the above stating:
a. What number are due to be examined internally by the force.
b. What number are due to be examined by an external contractor.

3. Please provide the average number of days it is currently taking, for a digital device to be examined.

4. Please provide a breakdown of the above stating:
a. The average number of days it is currently taking, for a device to be examined internally by the force.
b. The average number of days it is currently taking, for a device to be examined by an external contractor.

Decision

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

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

It should be noted that this disclosure relates specifically to devices that have been authorised for examination by the MPS Forensic Services Digital Forensics Department either at a Digital Forensic hub based on the boroughs or at our central Digital Forensic facility at Lambeth. It should be noted that we have no ability to record the number of devices that may be with an investigator and which have not yet been requested for examination.

Q1 - Please provide the number of digital devices currently awaiting examination by, or for, the force.

810 phones and computers across our Level 2 and Level 3 services as 16th January 2024

Q2 - Please provide a breakdown of the above stating:

All of these digital devices will be subject to data acquisition internally.

Q2a - What number are due to be examined internally by the force.

All of these digital devices will be acquired internally (810)

Q2b - What number are due to be examined by an external contractor.

Once the data has been acquired by our internal staff, we will review what can be taken by our contractors. At a high level around 40% of our analysis work is currently outsourced.

Q3 - Please provide the average number of days it is currently taking, for a digital device to be examined.

See detail in answers to question 4.

Q4 - Please provide a breakdown of the above stating:
Q4a - The average number of days it is currently taking, for a device to be examined internally by the force.

On average it takes 48 days for the work to start, on average the machine time in the process will take 189 days on average and then 30 days to complete the analysis. Total - 267 days.

Q4b - The average number of days it is currently taking, for a device to be examined by an external contractor.

As contractors do not complete the end to end process, this can only be compared to the analysis part - 30 days.