NG15 May/June 2022

YOUR LOCAL
BEAT TEAMS
HUCKNALL
District Commander for
Ashfield
Inspector Jon Hewitt
Neighbourhood Policing Sgt
Sgt 3593 Lorna Hodgkinson
PC 3388 Steve Read
Phone: 310 3388
PCSO 4891 James Walters
Phone: 310 4891
PCSO 8008 Simon Gazzard
Phone: ext 310 8008
PC 1499 Malik
Phone: 101 310 1499
PCSO 545 Bennett
Phone: 101 310 0545
CALVERTON,
RAVENSHEAD &
VILLAGES
Neighbourhood Policing Insp.
Inspector Chris Jury
Neighbourhood Policing Sgt
PS 2581 Neil Langham
Team no: 101 ext: 318 9719
PC 1541 Nik Brennan
Tel: 101 ext: 310 1541
Nottinghamshire leading the way on phone
data analysis
Police in Nottinghamshire are leading
the way in the prompt analysis of
mobile phone data belonging to victims
and suspects.
The Digital Forensics Unit was recently
visited by Home Secretary Priti Patel who
was briefed on their work.
A recent investigation by Channel 4 News
revealed a backlog of more than 20,000
digital devices waiting to be examined by
forces across England and Wales.
Nottinghamshire Police, however, has
just 31 phones, tablets and computers
waiting to be examined which have all
been triaged.
This strong performance, the force says,
is down to significant recent investment
in specialist digital media and forensics
officers, interns, graduate investigators,
strict adherence to national proportionality
guidelines, and the upskilling of other
officers to examine devices linked to less
serious offences.
Detective Chief Inspector Les Charlton is
responsible for Nottinghamshire Police’s
digital media investigation teams.
He said: “As technology has evolved
so have the demands placed on police
officers. Digital evidence now plays a
significant role in the majority of police
investigations and can be gathered from
devices ranging from mobile phones to
smart wearables. That creates a very
significant demand that has to be managed
effectively.
“When somebody has been the victim of a
crime – particularly a sexual offence – we
absolutely understand that the investigative
process can be extremely difficult and
upsetting for them.
“As police officers we have a job to do,
but we want to do that job with as little
additional upset to a victim as possible. We
offer a bespoke same day and appointment
service for phones to help victims.
“We understand that mobile devices are
actually a very big part of people’s lives.
They are quite literally their link to the
outside world – their friends and family
– so we understand the importance of
returning those devices to them as quickly
as we can.”
Thanks to the ongoing uplift in officer
numbers, the force has been able to boost
its digital forensic capability by more than
50 per cent over the last two years. It has
also implemented force-wide protocols to
prevent a backlog of devices and it always
prioritises victims of sexual assault.
They, along with other victims of crime,
consent to very limited examinations
of their devices which relate only to
the events immediately surrounding an
offence.
The force also adheres to best practice
guidelines from the College of Policing
about the prompt return of data and
devices. Typically the force looks to return
devices within 24 hours.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford said:
“Digital data has an increasingly vital role to
play in our day-to-day work but we should
never lose sight of the immense upset and
inconvenience this can cause to victims.
That’s why we have taken the decision to
heavily and creatively invest in this area of
our work over the last couple of years and
why we will continue to do so the future.”