Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation
Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation
Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation
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THE ROLE OF POLICE<br />
Forensics:<br />
after the FSS<br />
Dr Angela Gallop assesses<br />
the impact of the closure of<br />
the Forensic Science Service<br />
Dr Angela Gallop is Chief Executive,<br />
Axiom International Ltd<br />
There was general outcry when<br />
the intended closure of the<br />
Forensic Science Service (FSS)<br />
was first announced in December<br />
2010. This would leave forensic science<br />
almost entirely in the hands of private<br />
companies. Who would be able to handle<br />
the most complex cases Who would<br />
pick up the pieces when they made the<br />
inevitable mistakes And who would fund<br />
research and development for the future<br />
since private companies are apparently<br />
only interested in profits<br />
In reality, police forces have been<br />
relying increasingly on private companies<br />
for forensic science since 1991. This<br />
followed a change from central funding<br />
for the work, to direct case-by-case<br />
charging, which enabled police to<br />
choose for the first time from whom<br />
they purchased their forensic services.<br />
This inspired other organisations to offer<br />
forensic services too, which led to the<br />
beginnings of a forensic market.<br />
Competition in this market<br />
dramatically reduced both costs and<br />
time taken for services to be delivered,<br />
with private companies becoming ever<br />
more innovative about how to streamline<br />
processes and cut out waste.<br />
The same innovative spirit also helped<br />
solve many of the <strong>UK</strong>’s most high-profile<br />
and complex investigations, including<br />
the deaths of Damilola Taylor, achel<br />
Nickell and Stephen Lawrence. Every<br />
organisation makes mistakes, but so did<br />
the FSS and sometimes it took private<br />
companies to expose these – such as flaws<br />
in the way the FSS analysed DNA traces.<br />
This led to re-analysis of samples in a<br />
large number of cases, some of which<br />
were solved as a direct result.<br />
The FSS was closed largely because<br />
it never learned how to compete<br />
effectively with more innovative and agile<br />
competitors, relying too much on the<br />
close, financially supportive relationship<br />
historically it had enjoyed with the Home<br />
Office.<br />
This is not to say that everything in<br />
the garden is now rosy. It isn’t. There are<br />
important lessons to be learned and big<br />
issues that need addressing as a matter of<br />
urgency if we are to retain and build on<br />
“<strong>Police</strong> forces have been relying<br />
increasingly on private companies<br />
for forensic science since 1991.”<br />
72 | POLICING <strong>UK</strong>