Information about the role of a digital investigator, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A digital investigator is a digital and cybercrime position within the investigation sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The digital investigator supports major crime, incidents, operations or any investigation that requires specialist digital investigative assistance. They provide assistance and advice in support of live incidents, investigations, gathering intelligence and conducting proactive/reactive investigations where digital technology and data acquisition opportunities exist.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Advocating and promoting the investigative opportunities offered by the acquisition of communications and digital data, including at crime scenes and property searches to support investigations.
- Supporting the development of digital strategies in conjunction with senior investigation officers and investigating officers to reach objectives for how digital investigators can support investigations.
- Seeking specialist support from roles such as analysts, communications data investigators (CDI) single point of contact (SPoC), radio frequency propagation surveyors, digital forensics, covert authority bureau, vehicle examiners and National Crime Agency to apply appropriate expertise to the advancement of an investigation.
- Undertaking open and closed source investigations in relation to specific subjects, to support incidents, operations and investigations.
- Undertaking proactive research into the latest hardware and software products available including applications, assessing how they may support police investigations and making recommendations to improve processes.
- Supporting investigations through preparation of relevant disclosure material, in liaison with Crown prosecutors when necessary.
- Sharing best practice in force, regionally and nationally to aid collaboration and continuous improvement in policing.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 1: practitioner
- We take ownership – Level 1: practitioner
- We collaborate – Level 1: practitioner
- We support and inspire – Level 1: practitioner
- We analyse critically – Level 1: practitioner
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
Values
The CVF has three values. These values apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. Skills are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 1
- Problem solving – Level 1
- Performance management – Level 1
- Relationship management – Level 1
- Change management – Level 1
- Managing people – Level 1
- Managing resources – Level 1
- Planning – Level 1
- Use of IT – Level 1
Education, qualifications and experience
Previous education, qualifications and experience
Knowledge and understanding of the law and procedure in connection with the following key business areas:
- digital forensics (computers and mobile devices)
- network investigations
- wifi opportunities
- open-source investigations
- communications data investigations
- automatic number plate recognition (ANPR)
- CCTV
- radio frequency propagation surveys (cellular and wifi)
Key legislative knowledge of:
- Investigatory Powers Act (IPA)
- Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE)
- Criminal Procedures and Investigations Act (CPIA) including public interest immunity (PII)
- Human Rights Act 1998 and European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)
- UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA)
Strong understanding of processes including:
- investigation, prosecution and case file preparation
- exhibits management and giving of evidence
- grading systems for single point of contacts (SPoCs) and risk matrices used by the high-tech crime unit (HTCU)
- experience working on a major investigation team/serious organised crime investigation team or local criminal investigation team, and major incident room
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- College of Policing Digital Investigation Foundation Learning Programme.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence.
CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of a professional development review (PDR) conversation.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all annual and mandatory training.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- staying up-to-date with the changing landscape of communications data
- undertaking attachments to other units, for example, digital forensic unit, SPoC unit and intelligence units
- developing a working knowledge of, and identifying emerging technologies, seeking out new data acquisition opportunities and staying apprised of any updates from service providers
- monitoring legislative changes that may affect digital work
- keeping up to date with changing legislation and current national policing priorities
- keeping up to date with new approaches to evidence-based policing
- researching new methodologies of gaining digital evidence/data within the parameters of the law and local force policy
- maintaining and enhancing knowledge of both cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled crime
- maintaining and enhancing ability to testify in court as a professional witness
- understanding and implementing the current Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA) and associated Codes of Practice, including extraction of information from electronic devices: Code of Practice 2023
- attending role specific digital investigation CPD events and training, where appropriate
- demonstrating operational experience through deployment as digital investigator on a major incident or operation
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