FOI 534/25 Digital Forensics Unit Work Load
Date: 09/06/25
Enquiry Reference: FOI 534-25
I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request. Below is your request and our response.
1.Device Submissions and Backlog
- The number of devices currently awaiting examination
698
- 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 +
Data is not specifically tracked into these division – no devices are currently outside of a 180 day timeframe
- Your force’s target turnaround time for completing forensic investigations
Current Force SLA’s are: 40 Days for High Priority – 120 Days for Medium Priority – 180 Days for Low Priority
2.Staffing and Capacity
- The number of full-time equivalent staff currently working in the DFU, broken down by role if possible.
1 Unit Manager
3 Senior Digital Forensic Investigators
10 Digital Forensic Investigators
- Any vacancies or staffing shortfalls affecting the DFU in the last 12 months. – N/A
3.Accreditation and Quality
- Whether your DFU is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, and if so, for which types of digital forensic activity
We have looked at the content of your and question must advise you that we consider the Freedom of information Act 2000 Exemption 21 (Information Accessible by other means) is engaged in relation to this request this is a class based and absolute exemption, requiring no prejudice or public interest to be considered.
If you visit the link and selecting the “Chief Constable of Cleveland Police” will then detail all accredited activities - Search UKAS accredited organisations
4.Efficiency Measures
- Whether your DFU uses triage processes or tools to prioritise devices or speed up examination
All cases and devices are risk assessed and examined in line with an investigative strategy
- Whether your force uses any form of AI or automation to support digital forensic work
AI is only used to assist with filtering data sets to help with reviewing large quantities of data. It is however not wholeheartedly relied upon for accuracy.
- Whether any part of your digital forensic workload is outsourced to external providers, and if so, approximately what percentage
No digital forensic work is currently outsourced
- Please disclose any regional or national forensic units you've collaborated with within the past year
Cleveland has worked alongside NEROCU and NERSOU
Having made enquiries within the Force above is all the information we hold. Please note that all statistical data supplied in relation to Freedom of Information requests is a snapshot of data held at the time the request was received by the Freedom of Information office and is subject to constant change/updates.
The Cleveland Police response to your request is unique and it should be noted that Police Forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures to capture and record data therefore responses from Cleveland Police should not be used as a comparison with any other force response you receive.
If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The Freedom of Information Code of Practice (see below link) states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced. Public authorities are not obliged to accept internal reviews after this date.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-code-of-practice
Yours sincerely
Information Rights Decision Maker