Digital Policing by Medhurst, Rachael; Abuhmida, Mabrouka; Derbi, Emma;

Short description:

This book explores the growing relationship between digital technology, criminal investigations, and modern policing. With this book written for students, frontline officers, investigators, and those new to digital investigations, this explains the key concepts in clear, accessible language without assuming prior technical knowledge. 

Long description:

This book explores the growing relationship between digital technology, criminal investigations, and modern policing. As technology is increasingly used to commit crimes as well as to solve them, digital evidence now features in most investigations, making a collaborative approach between legal personnel essential. Officers, investigations, and criminal justice professionals now require a practical understanding of how cyber security and digital forensics support the pursuit of justice.

Written for students, frontline officers, investigators, and those new to digital investigations, this explains the key concepts in clear, accessible language without assuming prior technical knowledge. It introduces the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA), examines the digital evidence commonly encountered in investigations, and explores the cyber-attacks that compromise systems and evidence. Following the understanding of devices and attacks, the various sections guide the reader through the digital forensic processes, technical processes, evidential integrity, governance frameworks, compliance requirements, and the professional standards used across England and Wales.

With this understanding achieved, there is a wide range of policing scenarios, case studies, and guidance to further embed knowledge and understanding of cyber and digital within law enforcement. The book demonstrates how digital evidence should be identified, preserved, analysed, documented, and presented in court; in addition, it shows the importance of building strong cyber culture, as without this, the other stages would be ineffective. The result is a practical bridge between cyber security, digital forensics, and everyday policing practice in an increasingly digital society.

This is essential reading for Professional Policing students taking courses on criminal investigation, crime scene management, digital policing, intelligence analysis, and cyber security.

This insightful book provides a timely exploration of the evolving role of digital evidence and the increasing need for collaborative approaches within modern policing.
Rhian Kinsella, Head of Applied Sciences and Associate Dean for Business and Partnerships, University of South Wales, and Former Crime Scene Investigator, South Wales Police.
 
In the OSINT and digital forensics space, you quickly realise that everything is connected. This book does a great job of showing exactly how cyber security and modern policing intersect in the real world. It avoids getting bogged down in pure theory and provides a really helpful viewpoint on how these various disciplines work together seamlessly.
Joshua Richards, Founder of OSINT Praxis, Former Law Enforcement, and Digital Forensics Graduate.

As former Crime Scene Investigators, we know how central physical evidence has always been, and continues to be, in building a case. But the digital world has transformed modern investigations, and most crimes now have some form of digital element. This book addresses that landscape brilliantly, exploring the role of digital evidence while emphasising the need for a collaborative approach across forensic disciplines. A must read for investigators.
Angela Davies & Dionne Watson, The Crime Scene Insiders Podcast, Former Crime Scene Investigators, Northumbria Police.

Drawing on the realities of modern investigations, this book offers a valuable perspective on digital evidence and the vital role of digital forensic practitioners. From my experience in the field, its emphasis on bringing together expertise from across investigative and forensic disciplines reflects the collaborative approach increasingly required to support the pursuit of justice in a rapidly evolving digital age.
Beth Jenkins, Lecturer in Digital Forensics and Cyber Security, University of South Wales, and Former Digital Forensic Examiner, Gwent Police. 

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: Why Digital Evidence Matters to Every Officer  2. The Security Triangle: Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability in Digital Evidence Handling  3. Compromised Devices: The Consequences of CIA Breaches on the Digital Devices that Hold Evidence  4. Types of Attacks: The Categories of Cyber-Attack that Compromise Devices and Breach the CIA Triad  5. Digital Forensic Processes  6. Ensuring Integrity: Governance and Compliance  7. Enhancing Cyber Culture: Building an Investigative Mindset, Confidence and Capability  8. Conclusion: Bridging the Gap