You are in:
New survey reveals relaxed attitude of Brits to use of technology in policing
An independent survey amongst 1,000 people in the UK on attitudes about the use of mobile forensic technology has revealed that the majority of the British public are comfortable with police using forensic technology to help solve crimes.
The survey, conducted on behalf of Cellebrite, a provider of mobile forensic solutions to the police and intelligence services, reveals that 81% of respondents would be happy to allow the police to extract mobile data from their phone if they were found in the vicinity of a crime scene. 71% of respondents believe that all data extracted in this way should be held by police for a year or more.
As further evidence of the relaxed attitude towards policing, 56% of respondents support the British system of allowing police to stop and search a suspect if reasonable grounds for suspicion exist. This is in contrast to the system in practise in other countries like Germany and Holland that requires a judge’s permission to forensically examine digital devices like computers or phones. An additional 27% of respondents believe that the police should have greater powers than they currently possess: just 17% believe the police have too much power.
When questioned specifically about the use of such mobile technology to search the phones of motorists suspected of committing a traffic offence, 77% of Brits believe the police should be entitled to extract mobile data from a phone or satellite navigation device with the driver’s permission. The survey revealed that - not only is the public happy with the use of such technology in traffic offences - but 91% of those who were happy with its use felt the data retrieved should be used to help solve other crimes.
Commenting on the survey findings Cellebrite co-CEO Yossi Carmil said, “We are very pleased to see the public support for the use of mobile forensic technology like our own to help track down and prosecute offenders. Police and intelligence organisations around the world have already embraced the way in which our technology can help deliver immediate information that can prove critical during that important golden hour following a crime being committed. It’s reassuring to see the balanced attitude of the British public in weighing up the need to protect our society against criminals by using the latest available forensic technology and protecting our civil liberties.”
To see the full survey findings, please send your full contact details to: marcom@cellebrite.com
