Wynyard Group launches software to help law enforcement analyse digital evidence

Wynyard Group has launched its Digital Evidence Investigator software to help law enforcement and border control agencies process and analyse complex digital evidence from mobile phones, laptops and other storage devices.

The software forensically extracts and processes data held on devices – such as call and text records, emails, Internet and social media history, and images and videos – while preserving all of the data in its original form. This preservation is critical if evidence is challenged when in a court of law.

Wynyard Group's vice president global marketing, Saya Wahrlich, says Wynyard worked with police forces around the world about the challenges they face and built in key product features to help with areas such as minimising the number of objectionable images an investigator might need to view in a case.

“The software has the ability to quickly and automatically identify objectionable material contained in images and videos using digital signatures. It can also connect to external databases to help identify, locate and rescue victims of child exploitation,” she says.

“By helping law enforcement agencies interrogate and analyse digital content more effectively they can be even more responsive in tackling offenders, stopping drug trafficking and protecting children from exploitation.”

Other tools inside the software provide the ability to quickly analyse Internet activity, including social media, emails, instant messenger chats including Yahoo and Skype, browser history and Google searches, and connect related evidence from other seized devices and data sources.

“We understand that in some large cities there are more than 50,000 devices lawfully seized each year, and with the increasing number of smart phone users this number continues to grow,” Wahrlich says.

Wynyard brought the original technology from the New Zealand Police in 2012 and has since integrated it with its advanced crime analytics platform. Wynyard and New Zealand Police continue to work closely on new features and enhancements to the product.