Mobile probing kit bids opened by cops

THE deadline is looming for bids for a Cheshire police equipment contract worth up to £200,000 aimed at speeding up how long it takes to examine mobile devices.

Details on the UK Government tendering website said the constabulary is experiencing a rise in frontline officers having to deal with technology such as SIM cards with demand for this type of work expected to continue to increase.

The contract bulletin said police need to be able to examine mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, 24 hours a day.

It is hoped improving access to equipment for this work will reduce the number of suspects who have to be bailed while their gadgets are probed and to slash the duration of bail.

Other predicted benefits include slashing inconvenience to victims and witnesses when their mobile gizmos need to be looked at, quicker turnaround times for examining equipment and reduced demand on the e-forensics team allowing its skilled staff to focus on ‘more complex technical examinations’.

Deadline for applica- tions is January 16 with the contract, worth between £50,000 and £200,000 and to run from April 3, 2017, to March 31, 2019. The tender invitation’s author said: “The vision for Cheshire Constabulary is that front-line investigators will have access to mobile device examination equipment at a number of local sites including custody suites, local police stations and headquarters.

“A number of trained front-line investigators will carry out mobile device examinations on behalf of their colleagues.

“These trained frontline investigators will advise colleagues on what information may be obtained from mobile devices, how to preserve the evidence and how to use it to develop lines of enquiry.

“This will ensure that: wasteful examinations will be prevented by a formalised decision-making process that also ensures force-wide consistency; there will be strong governance of the equipment and procedures, with an operational manager who is accountable for sustaining and promoting the proper use of the equipment; and this vision is consistent with the police and crime plan priority of ‘building on the use of innovative technology to deliver better services to the communities of Cheshire’.”