FOI 9539-25 Digital Forensics

Request:

I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, in relation to your force's Digital Forensics Unit.

1. Device Submissions and Backlog

1. The number of devices currently awaiting
2. As of the present day, the number of devices that have been awaiting examination for under 30 days, 30 days - 3 months, 3 – 6 months, 6 months – 1 year and 2 – 3 years, 3 – 4 years, 4 years +
3. Your force’s target turnaround time for completing forensic

2. Staffing and Capacity 

1. The number of full-time equivalent staff currently working in the DFU, broken down by role if possible.
2. Any vacancies or staffing shortfalls affecting the DFU in the last 12

3. Accreditation and Quality 

1. Whether your DFU is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, and if so, for which types of digital forensic activity.

4. Efficiency Measures 

1. Whether your DFU uses triage processes or tools to prioritise devices or speed up examination.
2. Whether your force uses any form of AI or automation to support digital forensic work.
3. Whether any part of your digital forensic workload is outsourced to external providers, and if so, approximately what percentage.
4. Please disclose any regional or national forensic units you've collaborated with within the past year.

Police Response:

1a) 358

1b) We are currently unable to extract the data regarding a break down by the timescales you have asked for, but we are able to advise there is no mobile/tablets waiting longer than 13 months and no computers waiting longer than 30 months.

1c) High Risk Cases – 6 months

Medium Risk Cases – 12 months;

Low Risk Cases – 18 months

2a) 47

2b) A capacity assessment is in progress.

3a) This information is publicly available and as such, is exempt pursuant to Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) – information reasonably accessible by other means.

Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Northamptonshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt within the provisions of the Act) is required to provide you, the applicant, with a Notice which:

• states the fact that an exemption has been applied
• specifies the exemption in question, and
• states why the exemption applies (if that would not otherwise be apparent)

The statutory exemption applicable to the information not disclosed is as follows: Section 21 - Information reasonably accessible by other means

This is an Absolute Class Based Exemption and is therefore not subject to a harm or public interest test.

Please see the below link to the requested information:

29383Testing Single

4a) No

4b) Outside of forensic work tools which may have some element of automation, none

4c) Less than 1%

4d) East Midlands Special Operations Unit