Joint National Police Chiefs' Council, CPS and College of Policing statement in response to the report from the Information Commissioner's Office

“Police investigators must balance the need to follow all reasonable lines of enquiry, guaranteeing a fair trial, with the need to respect privacy. We thank the Information Commissioner for this detailed and thoughtful report which acknowledges the complexity of this issue, and the growing volumes of data which exist in criminal cases. We will now carefully consider the recommendations of the report.

“We note that the Commissioner recognises the need for consistency in how digital evidence is processed for use in criminal investigations. We have all committed to working with stakeholders to get this right and will be continuing this work in light of the recommendations in this report.”