Forensic Analytics ramps up Scottish presence amid digital crime wave

The company has recently helped police forces around the UK analyse complex communications data to deliver a string of convictions relating to so-called county lines drug offences.

Since opening its Edinburgh office, which is led by chief executive Steve Rick, the tech firm has grown its Scottish headcount to seven, including hiring Celtic FC head of marketing and multimedia Kerry Keenan as its chief marketing officer. It has also linked up with WiFi Spark to open a service desk base in Irvine which will provide round-the-clock technical support services to the firm’s customers across the UK.

Next month, the company, which has a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, will partner with Amazon Web Services to deliver a roadshow event in Edinburgh, featuring discussions with law enforcement experts on enhancing digital policing in Scotland.

Steve Rick, Forensic Analytics’ Edinburgh-based CEO, receives the Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation from the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

Forensic Analytics chief executive Steve Rick said: “In our field, working in support of law enforcement at a time when over 90 per cent of all crime has a digital component, the need for innovation in tackling the ingenuity of the criminal world has never been greater.

“Whether it’s drugs, violence against women and girls, kidnap and extortion, or some of the new and emerging trends in criminality like courier fraud where criminals prey on vulnerable members of society, perpetrators continue to innovate and so must we.”

Louis Ravensfield, WiFi Spark operations manager, added: “We have worked closely with Forensic Analytics to build and create a strong bond between our respective companies.”