FOI 0113-2025/26 Multimedia Forensic Processes

Request
With respect to multimedia forensic processes, could you please provide me with a copy of the most recent Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), guidance documents, or policy documents held by your force. For clarity, by multimedia forensics I refer specifically to the forensic analysis, enhancement, authentication, interpretation, and presentation of audio, video, and still-image material. This does not include general digital forensics (such as the extraction of data from computers, mobile devices, or other storage media). I am solely concerned with processes dealing directly with audio, video, and image evidence. Specifically, please provide the material requested in the following four bullet points:

1. A copy of the SOPs, guidance documents, or policy documents covering the forensic processing, enhancement, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of audio, video, and image material for investigative or evidential purposes.

2. Any internal multimedia forensic workflows, protocols, or standard practices related to handling such material.

3. The names of software, tools, or systems used for these processes, including any associated training or operational guidance.

4. The quality assurance, validation, or review procedures used to ensure the accuracy, authenticity, and admissibility of multimedia forensic evidence. If the full SOPs or documents cannot be shared, I kindly request the following information in place of the SOP as per the following seven points:

5. A summary or description of the multimedia forensic processes followed.

6. SOP titles, version numbers, and the dates of their creation, last update, and validation/approval.

7. The roles, departments, or individuals responsible for authoring, validating, or approving the SOPs.

8. The legislation, policies, standards, or external guidance referenced during the development and/or review of the SOPs.

9. Whether the SOPs have undergone any ethical review or approval, and details of any such review processes or bodies involved.

10. Whether the SOPs have been externally validated, peer-reviewed, or accredited by any agency, professional body, or external organization.

11. Whether any SOPs are currently under review, have recently been amended, or are scheduled for updates, and the relevant timelines if applicable. In addition to the previous, please provide responses to the following four points regarding the use of emerging technologies:

12. Please detail whether your multimedia forensic unit currently uses or has trialled artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) tools for:

o Authentication (e.g., detecting edits, deepfakes, or tampering)

o Enhancement (e.g., audio/video/image quality improvement)

o Analysis or interpretation (e.g., transcription, object recognition, pattern matching)

Note: a simple response is acceptable here such as "Authentication: Use. Enhancement: Trialled. Analysis: Not used"

13. If applicable, the names or vendors of the AI/ML tools used.

14. Whether the use of these tools is governed by any SOPs, internal policies, or ethical guidelines.

15. Whether the adoption and use of AI/ML tools have been subject to ethical review, oversight, or risk assessment, and any details of such reviews or assessments.

Extent of Searches to Locate Information
Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police to locate relevant information. 

Decision
I am not obliged to provide you with a response to your request pursuant to Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please note that when one part of your request falls under Section 12, we are not obliged to review the rest of the questions and the whole request is therefore exempt.

Section 12(1) applies to your request as the cost of complying with your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of identifying and retrieving any relevant information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Due to the nature of our recording systems the information requested, if held, is not in an easily retrievable format. Our information retrieval process generally relies on a computer ran report which captures any information recorded upon the surface of a record or within specified fields. Where relevant information is held deeper in the record, or outside of a specified field, a manual assessment is required to retrieve that information.

In order to retrieve the information you have requested to answer Questions 1 and 8 alone, it would be necessary to conduct a search across the whole force for any Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), policies, procedures and guidance, together with any legislation, policies, standards, or external guidance referenced during the development and/or review of the SOPs. A manual read would then be required to determine their relevance to your request, exceeding the time limit allowed under the Act.

Pursuant to Section 17(5) of the Freedom of Information Act this letter acts as a Refusal Notice.

Pursuant to Section 16 of the Act I am required to offer you advice and assistance with regarding to refining your request to within the ‘appropriate limit’ (time/cost limit). However, due to the information provided above I am unable to suggest how you may refine your request and still receive meaningful information within the cost threshold.  If you wish to discuss this please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.