OSCE Mission to Montenegro organizes workshop on handling of digital evidence
Maintaining international standards on identifying, collecting, handling, protecting and preserving electronic evidence is crucial for its admission in trials, was the conclusion from a two-day workshop organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro from 5 to 6 December in Danilovgrad.
The workshop, titled Handling Digital Evidence, gathered 18 digital forensics experts from Danilovgrad, Sarajevo and Zagreb. Digital forensic evidence can be gathered from any electronic storage or communications media such as cellphones and computers.
The participants shared their experiences in the examination of mobile phones and the application of forensic techniques in digital imaging. They raised concerns on digital forensic evidence fragility: it can be easily damaged or changed due to improper handling, whether by accident or on purpose.
The participants in the event concluded that standardization of forensic examination approaches should be applied throughout the region, to enable more efficient comparison of results from cross-border investigations. They recognized the need to strengthen research and practice in the collection of digital evidence, and to address the increased demand for forensic analysis and reduce the growing backlog in processing of evidence. The participants also emphasized the need to update equipment and provide investigators with ongoing training.
The event closed with the Forensic Center from Sarajevo awarding a Certificate of Appreciation to the Forensic Center in Danilovgrad for the mentoring they provided in 2017 and 2018, which led to the accreditation of Sarajevo’s laboratory in 2018.
The workshop was part of the Mission’s long-term support to the Ministry of Interior and Police Directorate in implementing criminal justice reform and establishing the Forensic Center in 2008. Since then, the Centre has worked with the Mission to enhance its institutional capacity, enabling it to obtain its International Standard of Quality ISO 17025 and membership in the European Network of Forensic Science Institutions (ENFSI).