How long does it take police to search a phone in the UK?

Have the police seized your phone as evidence in a criminal investigation? Whether or not you are a suspect in the investigation, you will be anxious to have your phone returned to you.

In this article, we’ll discuss how long it takes for the police to search your phone, what factors affect the length of time it takes, and discuss whether there’s anything you can do to get your phone returned quicker.

How long does it take to search your phone in the UK?

The length of time the police take to search your phone takes into account:

• The time it takes to even begin looking at your phone.
• The time it takes to complete the actual data extraction/imaging process.
• The time it takes to analyse the recovered data.

It may be several weeks, months, or even years before the police even decide to begin analysing your phone.

When they begin, the time to complete the data extraction and analysis process depends on how much information they need to gather. A simple search can take a few hours to a few days. In-depth forensic analysis can take weeks or months.

In January 2024, the Metropolitan Police received a Freedom of Information (FOI) request requesting a breakdown of the number of digital devices awaiting examination and the number of days it was taking for them to be examined. The Met responded that:

• They had 810 phones and computers in their backlog.
• It was taking an average of 48 days to begin examining a device.
• It was taking an average of 189 days to process the phone.
• It was taking an average of 30 days to complete the analysis.
• In total, it was taking on average 267 days to fully examine the device.

Different police forces will estimate different timescales.

What factors affect the length of time it takes?

The time it takes to examine your phone depends on:

• The backlog of devices to examine – police have large backlogs of devices to examine for all sorts of cases.
• The severity of the offence – the most serious crimes will take precedence and examination may be expedited even if there is a large backlog.
• The security on the device – newer smartphones are much more difficult to hack into so will take additional time and tools to extract data from.
• The condition of the device – if the device is very damaged, it may be more time consuming to extract information from it.
• Waiting for third-party assistance to access some data – waiting on requests from Internet and network providers will add on time to the process.
• The amount of data stored and required – it will take longer to extract and consequently analyse large amounts of data.
• Legal processes – police require warrants and other authorisations to allow them to search the device so waiting on this will extend the time it takes to begin examining the phone.

Is there anything I can do to speed up the process?

The police can keep your phone for the entire duration of the investigation if they need to. To try and speed up the process, you can:

Be cooperative

Provide the police with your passwords/PINs and anything else they need to be able to easily access the phone.

Request expedited examination

If you can demonstrate that being without your phone is causing hardship (for example for medical needs, business use, or other essential reasons), your solicitor can make a formal request that the phone examination is expedited.

Check what information they need to extract

If the police need very specific information that won’t be that time consuming to gather, such as a call log or some text messages, you can request that they prioritise extracting this minimal data instead of holding the whole phone indefinitely.

Formally complain

If you feel you are waiting an unreasonable amount of time for the police to examine your phone, you can file a complaint with the help of your solicitor. Do note that this doesn’t guarantee your device will be prioritised.

Has your phone been seized as evidence in a criminal investigation?

If you are a suspect in a criminal investigation, please contact Holborn Adams today. You need solicitor expertise to build a defence case against whatever information the police may find on your device – even if you know you are innocent.

At Holborn Adams, we believe that prevention is better than cure so we take a proactive approach to criminal defence by recommending pre-charge engagement. If you haven’t been charged yet, we can help you build a case to persuade the police to drop their investigation with no further action.

Speak to our pre-charge solicitors today. We are ready to take your call, 24/7.

Holborn Adams