A build-up of seized technology waiting for forensic examination could pose a serious risk to ongoing investigations, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on e-crime has warned.
In an interview with The Register, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Janet Williams said work was being done to try to resolve the problem, but the current situation was both a risk to current investigations and problematic to people waiting for property to be returned.
“We can’t afford the backlog because we’re sitting on risk,” Ms Williams said. “And we need to realise that people’s lives are on those computers. If we can extract what we require and at least let them carry on with their lives, surely we should be looking to do that.”
ACPO is currently working on a new software tool that will allow forensic officers to operate locally and uncover information almost instantaneously.
“What we’re very keen on doing is looking for a forensic triage tool that police officers or forensic officers can use locally. One that is quite simple, one they can ask questions of, such as, ‘in this computer is there the following...?’,” said Ms Williams. “The triage tool can pull that out for them.”
She said the current backlog is one of e-crime’s biggest problems and that ACPO is close to identifying the right product to handle it.
As more computers are seized and the content is scrutinised in increasing detail, the practice is becoming a vital part of investigations, particularly in cases of child abuse images. But because the ability to uncover the information locally is limited, the work that needs doing is building up, Ms William said.
She added that investigators must now consider that in the modern climate, people’s lives are often centred around equipment that is seized.
“If someone takes your computer, there might be part of it that contains illicit material, intelligence or evidence, but there might also be part which contains all your banking details, your diary etc,” said Ms Williams.