Forensic Focus has formally submitted evidence briefings on the psychological health of digital forensic investigators to Parliament and to the national bodies responsible for policing standards, practitioner welfare and forensic quality in the UK.
The briefings draw on the Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study, the largest study of its kind, which assessed 179 digital forensic investigators internationally using validated clinical measures. Each briefing has been tailored to the remit of the organisation receiving it, setting out the evidence and the specific national levers available to act on it.
Briefings have been sent to:
- The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Policing, with an offer to brief the group in person or submit written evidence
- The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing, making the case for national standards, guidance and training for this workforce
- Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, proposing that digital forensic investigators be recognised as a defined high-exposure group within the national wellbeing framework
- Police and Crime Commissioners, framing investigator well-being as a duty-of-care, value-for-money and accountability issue within Police and Crime Plans
- The Police Federation of England and Wales, representing warranted officers working in digital forensics
- UNISON, representing the many digital forensic investigators employed as police staff
- The Forensic Capability Network and the Forensic Science Regulator, addressing practitioner well-being as a quality, competence and evidential-integrity issue
The study found that 20% of digital forensic investigators reported clinically significant suicidal or self-harm ideation, around four times the estimated general-workforce rate. Almost half (49%) receive no clinical or psychological supervision at all, 61% accessed no support service in the past year, and 28% say they are likely or very likely to leave their role within 12 months.
The briefings are constructive and welfare-focused. They do not criticise any individual force or team; the findings describe a systemic gap that is addressable through national standards, guidance, training and resourcing.
Paul Gullon-Scott BSc MA MSc MSc FMBPsS, Well-Being Lead at Forensic Focus and author of the study, said:
“Digital forensic investigators protect the most vulnerable people in society, and the evidence shows too many are doing it without the psychological support such work demands. The organisations we have written to hold the national levers that can close this gap. This is not about criticising any force or team; it is about fixing a systemic problem, and we stand ready to work with every one of these bodies to do that.”
Forensic Focus will report back to the community as responses are received and the campaign develops.
The full study report, the campaign hub and briefing materials for managers, employers and journalists are available at https://www.forensicfocus.com/well-being/
If you are struggling: in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123 or by email at [email protected]. Outside the UK, international helplines are listed at https://befrienders.org. Further support options for digital forensics professionals are signposted on the well-being hub at https://www.forensicfocus.com/well-being/
Media enquiries: Paul Gullon-Scott, [email protected]. Quotation of study statistics with attribution is welcomed.
