Extraction of material from digital devices
Investigation — Authorised Professional Practice
Summary
The Extraction of material from digital devices page provides guidance for UK police officers on the lawful extraction of information from electronic devices. Following the introduction of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, a clear legal framework is established for authorised persons to obtain information with user consent. This page emphasizes the necessity of ensuring sensitivity and dignity for victims and witnesses and protects their privacy rights. Officers are directed to follow a Home Office statutory code of practice when exercising these extraction powers. The page outlines various purposes for which information can be extracted, including crime prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
Key principles
- 1Extraction powers are established under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
- 2Information can only be extracted with the consent of the device user.
- 3Requests to extract information must be necessary and proportionate.
- 4Victims and witnesses should be treated with sensitivity and dignity.
- 5Privacy rights of individuals must be safeguarded.
Full guidance
This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
Removal of authorised professional practice (APP)
New legislation now standardises how and when the police can lawfully extract information from an electronic device if it has been voluntarily provided. The extraction of information powers are supported by a statutory code of practice published by the Home Office that provides guidance to authorised persons on when and how to exercise these powers. The code of practice on extraction of data from digital devices replaces this section of APP.
The College of Policing has created guidance to help sanctioning officers follow the new code of practice.
About the changes
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022(opens an external website in the same tab) introduces a clear legal basis for authorised persons to obtain and extract information from electronic devices, where there is agreement from the device user.
With so much more of our lives being lived online, the ability to extract information from devices can be a crucial factor in bringing offenders to justice. We must ensure that victims and witnesses are confident they will be treated with sensitivity and dignity when reporting crimes and that their rights to privacy are protected.
An authorised person can exercise the extraction of information powers for the purposes of:
preventing crime * detecting crime * investigating crime * prosecuting crime * helping to locate a missing person * protecting a child or an at-risk adult from neglect or physical, mental or emotional harm
These powers strengthen the law to ensure:
there is a consistent approach to requesting information from phones and other electronic devices * in all cases, requests to extract information held on an electronic device are only made when necessary and proportionate, in line with a reasonable line of enquiry
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Read the full APP guidanceSource: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.