| answer text |
<p>The Government’s Rape Review highlighted the importance of digital forensics and
disclosure of digital material in improving our response to sexual offences.</p><p>
</p><p>We have legislated to put the Forensic Science Regulator (FSR) and code of
practice on a statutory footing. Compliance with the FSR’s code will ensure the integrity
of digital evidence presented to the courts, helping to maintain public confidence
in our systems.</p><p>Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022),
we introduced a clear statutory basis for requesting devices from victims of crime
so that information is only shared with their agreement and where necessary and proportionate
and in response to a reasonable line of enquiry. This helps forces to ensure that
the high standards of Data Protection Act are met when processing sensitive personal
information belonging to victims of crime.</p><p>We are also working across the system
to ensure that police forces have the technology and capabilities they require. In
23/24, the Home Office invested £8.2m to increase capacity and speed in digital forensics,
including supporting selective extraction and examination of data on digital devices
to better protect victims from intrusive investigations.</p><p> </p><p>To drive further
improvements in the response to sexual offences, we invested £9.4m in Operation Soteria,
bringing together police and academics to develop a new national operating model for
the investigation of rape which is currently being implemented by all police forces
in England and Wales.</p>
|
|
