Our team is made of up of leading industry experts.
Our story started in 2009 when we identified a gap in the market for technical training within the law enforcement industry. First Forensics has grown from those days to become one of the most trusted experts in the digital forensic industry and we never stop adapting to the changing world around us.
With new and emerging technologies, our in-house product development team are constantly working on products that make once-difficult forensic tasks as easy as pushing a button.
Senior team
Heather Grills
Managing Director
Heather founded First Forensics in 2009 - by consolidating her engineering, teaching and law enforcement experiences she created one of the industry’s leading digital forensic companies.
She is responsible for the success of First Forensics’ operations and continues to foster the growth of the company as the Managing Director.
Her technical background and drive for quality keeps First Forensics first in our customers' choice of provider.
Stephen Grills
Director
Stephen’s expertise in product development and training is in high demand. Stephen is regarded as one of the leading experts in Cell Site Analysis and Wi-Fi Forensics in the UK and his patience, knowledge and willingness to share makes him the go-to resource for anything in these subject areas.
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Stephen is also the lead in our product development and consistently drives to create tools to ensure consistent techniques are used throughout the industry.
Stephen McMurray
Head of Software
Stephen is the in-house senior lead of the software team.
His talent for product development has ensured that the Forensic Compass range of products have minimal support issues and work around the clock providing law enforcement with the tools they need.
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Stephen manages the software team and is deeply involved in the the design and development of new and current products.
Nigel Cully
Senior Software Engineer
Nigel brings more than 20 years of experience in product engineering, with a focus on developing intuitive, innovative and high-quality solutions that deliver real customer value. He was instrumental in developing Discovery PRO, introducing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi scanning.
Katie May
Innovation and Digital Media Manager
With an unusual mix of law, computer science and videography Katie's background places her in the ideal position to head up First Forensics’ marketing and e-learning department.
Vikki Longman
Account Manager
Vikki spent 15 years working in Law Enforcement, initially in forensics, with the last 12 years as a Communications Data Investigator and RF technician. She has assisted some high profile cases and has been a national lead in Law Enforcements RF capability.
Ian Kerley
Trainer and DMI Lead
Ian joined First Forensics after a successful career in law enforcement. His investigative expertise is on full display in the classroom as he shares his DMI knowledge with learners.
Phillip Gardiner
Trainer
Phillip has worked in radio engineering for over 30 years, working all over the world on networks for the BBC, Hutchinson Mobile, Orange and Contactica. As part of the First Forensics team, Phillip uses his vast knowledge of RFPS to head up the casework department and takes an important role in our training team.
Paul Hope
Casework Manager
Paul is a fully trained cell site analysis and RFPS expert who has provided evidence on numerous occasions for both the prosecution and defence in high profile cases throughout the UK.