The use of digital evidence in homicide investigations

Digital evidence occupies an increasingly prominent role in homicide inquiries. Despite the investigative opportunities it provides, its effective and ethical use are far from straightforward. Drawing upon data gathered from two distinct ethnographic studies of major crime investigation, we explore how police forces in England and Wales accommodate the demand for digital examinations. We focus on the opportunities and challenges that arise in the extraction and analysis of digital data from mobile devices. The findings contribute to emerging debates about optimising the value of digital traces in police investigations.