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This document was retired in July 2021, replaced with the newer version covering images, video and audio (multimedia)

We live in a modern digital age society, where technological advancement is at the forefront of many initiatives and change, and as such evidential information have become ever so crucial than ever before.

With the high usage of smart phones, laptops, the Internet and social media, digital images and recordings are pivotal in police investigation. This cannot be underestimated. They are now a useful source of evidence for criminal justice purposes. Other evidences such as eye witness accounts, police statements are still highly valuable pieces of information and should neither be underestimated. Both together provide a holistic picture when investigating criminal cases.

As a result, the Police have a key role in managing, capturing, editing, processing, preparing cases, disclosing this to the Crown Prosecution service (CPS), storing, retaining and disposing of digital images carefully and according to guidelines highlighted. This document aims to offer practical guidance and advice on the role police play in digital imaging.

For more information and enquiries please see details below.

Email: soc@npia.pnn.police.uk

Telephone: 0870 241 5641


This document was retired in July 2021

Information security enables the police Service to deliver their core operational duties by ensuring that information are safely secured, stored and kept confidential. This also includes ensuring accuracy of information gathered.

Information management, governance and assurance are vital functions within the police Service in ensuring that the police are able to provide protection to members of the public and ensure a proper assessment of threat, risk and harm are undertaken. This includes the gathering, processing, transfer of information as well as systems and networks and supporting processes.

ACPO/ACPOS have set out clear expectations and strategies in this document for the management and security of information that includes system interconnection security policies, force information security policies, risk management and accreditation document sets and business continuity plans.

This document was retired in July 2021.

Police information, systems and networks must be safeguarded and protected to ensure the Police Service can meet their statutory and regulatory responsibilities. The Police Service meets these responsibilities by the implementation of this Community Security Policy (CSP) which encompasses appropriate Information Assurance (IA) policies and guidance.

The Police Service also support the need for appropriate safeguards and the effective management of all information processes, and are committed to helping protect all community member information assets from identifiable threats, internal or external, deliberate or accidental.

The CSP have strategic aims that: 

1. Enable the delivery of policing by providing appropriate and consistent protection for the information assets

2. Comply with statutory requirements and meet the expectations of the Police Service to manage information securely

3. enable forces, agencies and relevant organisations to understand the need to implement the IA policies identified herein, so the Police Service is able to meet its legal, statutory and regulatory requirements. 

The Codes of Practice and Conduct for Forensic Science Investigators, providers and practitioners is about ensuring quality standards are upheld to the highest order to the codes set out in the document. This code of Practice also set out the additional requirements requirement for accreditation is provided, particularly for digital forensics, firearms classification, drugs and toxicology.

This document has been written to assist organisations with understanding and interpreting the requirements of the standards, particularly BS/EN ISO/IEC 17025.

When the provisions in the Codes are fully implemented by all forensic science providers and practitioners and are understood by all end users, the potential for a forensic science quality failure to cause a miscarriage of justice will be substantially reduced and will provide a clear indication to customers and the public of what to expect.

It is important to note that forensic science quality framework does not operate in isolation and therefore it has been recommended that all interested parties in the  all forensic science space should read the appendices to the Codes (FSR-C- series) and guidance documents (FSR-G-series) relevant to their areas of expertise, and also the general guidance document on cognitive bias effects (FSR-G-217). The forensic science quality framework does not operate in isolation.