Further Detail on the Report Topic

Police Scotland established the Cyber and Fraud Unit (CAFU) on 1 April 2025 which is headed by DCS Andrew Patrick.

CAFU was initiated to shape our response to the exponential rise in cyber, fraud and crimes with digital elements. The new department has brought together resources from Cybercrime, SCO FIU, Cyber Harm Preventions and Policing in the Digital World Programme.

As the department develops it will identify and assess capabilities with a view of creating dedicated resource and functions to deal with this ever-increasing pressure on policing. Over 90% of crimes now have a digital element and one of the new department priorities is DF redesign to identify the solution to ensure DF can support every facet of policing to deal with this effectively and efficiently. This will be implemented with ISO 17015 at the forefront.

Investment will be required to achieve this and develop other capabilities as technology is being utilised more often to enable and facilitate crime committed in Scotland.

Establishing this command under DCS Patrick, will bring these specialist resources together, harness knowledge and skillsets to make improvements and identify areas for efficiency and growth, as it develops this should positively impact the service to the public and internally for Police Scotland, this will include the implementation of ISO 17025 for Digital Forensics.

Further detail on the initial ISO 17025 Project can be found in the briefing paper presented by CS Conrad Trickett (Business Lead, Policing in a Digital World Programme) at the SPA Forensics Services Committee on 06 August 2024.

Previously submitted timelines are now out of date, due to a delay with the initial attainment of the UKAS contract, resignation of Quality Assurance staff and the delay in recruitment of additional resources required to fulfil the ongoing assurance activities.