The Authorised Professional Practice (APP) has been approved by the College of Policing as the official and most up-to-date source of professional practice on policing. South Yorkshire Police have adopted APP as their Statement of Agreed Policy. This is the agreed policy on Digital Investigation and Intelligence and you may wish to refer to the APP section now.
Exceptions
South Yorkshire Police will seek to operate within agreed National APP guidance unless exceptional circumstances exist. Any decision to operate outside this guidance will need to be justified in line with the National Decision Model.
Additions
In addition to APP, South Yorkshire Police’s statement of agreed policy on Digital Intelligence and Investigation includes;
Digital Intelligence and Investigation
South Yorkshire Police are committed to deliver the highest standard of service to the public by gathering digital intelligence and securing and preserving digital evidence to support investigations. We will achieve this by:
Providing specialist training and staff accreditation. We will maximise the use of appropriate equipment and technology to improve our effectiveness and efficiency to investigate current and emerging crime types.
Working in conjunction with partners, industry and academia enables the organisation to be at the forefront of developing technological advances and our commitment to achieving excellence.
Committing to achieving national industry quality standards in the evidential examination of devices ensuring an effective and ethical investigation process and by the provision and maintenance of a secure storage and data retention facility.
This policy is supported by current legislation, APP guidance and is subject of continuous review.
The strategic aim of the Digital Intelligence and Investigation policy is to deliver the highest standards of service to the public by gathering digital intelligence and securing and preserving digital evidence to support investigations.
The force will seek to treat victims, witnesses and offenders in a fair, transparent and ethical manner in order to prevent and detect crime, protect the public and bring offenders to justice.
The care of victims is a priority of the force and our aim is to deliver a consistently high quality of support on every occasion.
South Yorkshire Police are committed to continuous professional improvement and development, and organisational learning around digital investigations to reassure the community and maintain public confidence.
South Yorkshire Police will provide specialist training and accreditations to staff who perform dedicated roles within the digital arena to support the professional investigation of crime. This will support the upskilling of all frontline staff to make digital enquiries a habitual consideration in all investigations.
We will maximise the use of appropriate equipment and technology to improve our effectiveness and efficiency to investigate current and emerging crime types.
South Yorkshire Police are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of society, from criminals who exploit them, specifically hate crime, child sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, honour based violence, modern slavery and human trafficking.
We will work in conjunction with partners, industry and academia to enable the organisation to be at the forefront of developing technological advances and continue our commitment to achieve excellence.
All staff working within the digital investigative function will conduct themselves and deliver in line with the Codes of Ethics and Professional Behaviour as would be expected of them from the people we serve.
South Yorkshire Police are committed in achieving national industry quality standards in the evidential examination of devices, ensuring an effective and ethical investigation process.
National guidance document(s) also underpins the Digital Investigation and Intelligence Policy;
- Packaging a Mobile Phone or Computer (doc)
- Categorisation of Images - flowchart and reference (PDF)
- CAID Business and Technical Guidance_V1.12 (PDF)
- NCA CEOP Victim Identification guidance for Policing using CAID v0 8 2 (PDF)
Associated Procedural Instructions
The Digital Investigation and Intelligence policy is, further supported by the following procedural instruction that is reviewed regularly.
- Pi4.1 - Guidance On Forensic Examination Of Digital Devices
- Pi4.2 - Seizure, Retention and Disposal of Digital Devices
- Pi4.3 - Internet Intelligence and Investigations