Further Detail

DF has evolved over the past ten years with the proliferation of technology and over 90% of crime has a digital element. DF underpins modern policing, providing the capability to identify, extract and present digital evidence that is now critical to the vast majority of investigations, while also being a key strand to keeping people safe across Scotland. Recruitment freezes and staff attrition have left DF understrength, with service risk now critical.

DF operates under systemic pressures that constrain the organisation’s ability to achieve and maintain accreditation. While work to assess and prioritise demand is ongoing, the service currently faces significant challenges in balancing workload against capacity.

With regards to accreditation specifically, several barriers have arisen, including critical posts remaining unfunded despite being essential to delivery of mandatory validation, verification and proficiency testing. Accreditation is not a one-off event and would require sustainable investment in audits, assurance, and corrective actions, and could be quickly lost without such investment, which would damage Police Scotland’s credibility. Attempting to push forward prematurely risks wasted effort and reputational harm.

Given these significant challenges, the decision to seek approval to pause the ISO 17025 accreditation project has been made.

The Cybercrime Quality Assurance Team (QAT) will continue to support the business area beyond project pause, preserving progress and continuing internal quality assurance and audits; ensuring process and system improvements remain aligned to the ISO standards.

Whilst ISO accreditation remains a strategic goal and a key enabler of public confidence in forensic outputs, the current operational, financial, and resourcing environment means continuing at pace is neither achievable nor sustainable. A temporary pause will protect the investment already made, allow critical risks to be addressed, and ensure Police Scotland achieves accreditation on a sustainable and credible basis aligned with its long-term operating model and the Chief Constable’s 2030 Vision.

The direction of travel for DF also supports wider national priorities. Robust, credible Digital Forensic capability is integral to maintaining the confidence of Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the judiciary in evidential integrity, ensuring that justice outcomes remain reliable and defensible. Furthermore, the approach reflects the ambitions of the Scottish Government’s Digital Strategy by embedding innovation, resilience, and public trust into how critical digital services are delivered across Scotland’s justice system.

By pausing accreditation and investing in targeted improvements, Police Scotland can ensure Digital Forensic capability remains credible, resilient, and future-ready. Should accreditation be re-prioritised, the organisation will be able to restart from a strong baseline, minimising lost effort.