An Introduction to Digital Evidence Management

What is digital evidence management?

Digital evidence management involves the categorisation, storing, and sharing of any piece of evidence in a criminal investigation that is either digital in provenance, or is a physical item that has been digitised.

Digital evidence management platforms (or digital asset management (DAM) platforms which have been adapted for evidence) store this data and enable users to upload, edit (if appropriate), redact, and share within a singular, secure interface.

Who uses digital evidence management?

Police forces are obviously the main users of digital evidence management platforms, but they can also benefit Criminal Justice stakeholders as evidence can be securely shared with them through the software.

Take a look at the case study of Aetopia’s work with Northumbria Police, who used our DAM platform to store over 850,000 pieces of crime related media, and reduced the ‘time to share’ with stakeholders from nine days to zero.

Evidence which can be stored in the system includes;

‍Video and image evidence

In-car videos, body worn camera footage and other incident-related videos and images are stored for image enhancement and collaboration. Within Aetopia’s platform, up to eight videos can be compared side-by-side on the same timeline. 

‍Document evidence
Documents such as incident reports, witness, victim statements and call records can be stored once digitised for case processing.

Where is digital evidence stored?

Users can usually choose between cloud or on-premise storage for their digital assets and evidence.

Whilst on-premise storage has historically been the favoured choice for highly sensitive data, DAM platforms utilise cloud storage very effectively whilst keeping their contents secure.

For forces handling sensitive data, security is obviously a massive priority. DAM and DEM providers have many measures in place to ensure the safety of digital assets, but for peace of mind, look out for certifications like ISO 27001 and providers which adhere to MoPI guidelines.

Why would you use digital evidence management?

There are many benefits of using a digital evidence management solution, key ones include;

‍It enables collaboration.
Assets can be easily and securely shared between courts, policing organisations, government agencies, and authorised members of the public and press.

‍It helps to improve public safety.
As collection and management of evidence is incredibly efficient, cases can be handled more quickly which ultimately improves public safety.

‍It saves time and money.

By enhancing collaborative management, forces can enjoy a more efficient and cost effective solution, minimising the impact on resources and budgets. Considerable savings can also be made when relying less on physical storage solutions such as DVDs and thumb drives.

‍It’s simple to use.

With modern, intuitive interfaces, platforms are simple to navigate and can be used easily even by the biggest technophobes!

‍It can ingest most evidence types.

Body worn camera footage, images, documents—almost any type of digital evidence can be stored within the platform.

How do you procure digital evidence management?

If you’re researching a management solution for your digital evidence, look no further than Aetopia’s secure, adaptable platform.

Proven at scale, Aetopia is trusted by some of the nation’s largest forces. You can read more about our work with Northumbria Police here, and see how we improved their criminal case file production quality by 4.8%, saved them £125,000 on the cost of physical storage, and reduced their “time to share” evidence with courts from nine days to zero.

We’re well-versed with the complex procurement processes of law enforcement, and as a trusted HM Government G-Cloud Supplier, we help the process run smoothly— you can read more on our Digital Marketplace listing.

If you’d like to read a first-hand account of an Aetopia user, see this piece from Roy Stammers, former Chief Inspector for Beds, Cambs, and Herts Digital Innovation Team—The imperative of using Aetopia DAM for law enforcement.

If you have any questions, specific requirements, or would like a demo of the platform, you can reach out to the team here.