Digital evidence, especially that extracted from smartphones, is now key to nearly all police investigations, a new report from Cellebrite has confirmed.
The Israeli forensics company compiled its 2026 Industry Trends Report based on interviews with 1200 law enforcement practitioners in 63 countries.
It found that a majority (95%) now agree that digital evidence is key to solving cases, up from 74% two years ago. In fact, nearly all (97%) respondents noted that the public expects it to be used in almost all cases.
Virtually all (97%) cited smartphones as a top source for digital evidence, up from 73% in 2024.
Read more on policing and technology: US Police Deployed Obscure Smartphone Tracking Tool With No Warrants.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that 95% of respondents argued that digital evidence “significantly increases” case solvability.
This is why 62% of public safety agencies are reallocating resources to digital investigations and more are open to using the cloud for evidence (42% vs 35% in 2024).
Digital Evidence Increasingly Complex
However, the majority (94%) of respondents also complained that the complexity of digital evidence has increased, increasing the workload for already stretched teams.
Officers typically encounter 2-5 devices per case and may have to sift through other sources of evidence such as video surveillance records, the report explained.
Locked devices, an inability to correlate data across sources, training gaps and difficulty explaining technical data to non-tech stakeholders were highlighted as key challenges. Some 68% of respondents claimed their biggest challenge is the time it takes to review this kind of evidence.
Devices arrive locked in over half (56%) of cases, with iOS (86%) claimed to be far harder to crack open than Android (65%).
Over 70% of respondents claimed that AI could help them find links between people, translate content, identify device users and search text and images more efficiently. Yet a third claimed their agency’s policies forbid use of the technology. Just 28% apparently use purpose-built analytical tools.
The UK’s police and crime commissioner, Matt Scott, argued that the relationship between police and the public is key when discussing use of new technologies.
“As new technology is introduced, it is important that the public’s consent is sought and that appropriate safeguards are put in place to ensure that decision making remains in the hands of officers and staff,” he added.
“Any use of AI or automation in policing should follow consultation with the public and be applied only where appropriate and where it can responsibly support productivity.”
Historic data breaches by police mean that trust in law enforcement’s use of technology is at a low ebb.
In 2024, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) leaked highly sensitive information on police and their families that put lives in danger, while a year previously Norfolk and Suffolk police accidentally exposed personal data belonging to more than 1000 individuals, including crime victims.
Last year, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) reprimanded South Yorkshire Police (SYP) after it deleted 96,000 pieces of evidence from officers’ bodycams.
