The Forensic Science Service Seventh report of session 2010-12, Vol. 1: Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written Evidence |
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| Author:
| Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee, |
| Contribution by:
| Miller, Andrew |
| Series title: | House of Commons Papers |
| ISBN: | 978-0-215-56032-2 |
| Publication Date: | Jul 2011 |
| Publisher: | Stationery Office, The
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| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | AUD $47.95 |
Book Description:
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The Science and Technology Committee is not confident that an orderly transition can be achieved by the extremely challenging deadline for closure of the Forensic Science Service of March 2012. Extending the deadline by at least six months would allow the government to consult on and determine a wider strategy for forensic science. In making its decision to close the FSS, the government failed to give enough consideration to the impact on forensic science research and development, the...
More DescriptionThe Science and Technology Committee is not confident that an orderly transition can be achieved by the extremely challenging deadline for closure of the Forensic Science Service of March 2012. Extending the deadline by at least six months would allow the government to consult on and determine a wider strategy for forensic science. In making its decision to close the FSS, the government failed to give enough consideration to the impact on forensic science research and development, the capacity of private providers to absorb the FSS's 60% market share and the wider implications for the criminal justice system. These considerations appear to have been hastily overlooked in favour of the financial bottom line. The report also draws attention to the historical inadequacies in government decision-making that brought the FSS to its current financial situation. The FSS's dire financial position appears to have arisen from a complex combination of factors, principally the shrinking forensics market, driven by increasing police in-sourcing of forensic science services, and a forensic procurement framework that has driven down prices and does not adequately recognise the value of complex forensic services. In the transition to closure, transferring work from the FSS to a non-accredited police or private laboratory would be highly undesirable, posing significant and unacceptable risks to criminal justice. Proposals should be brought forward immediately to provide the Forensic Science Regulator with statutory powers to enforce compliance with quality standards.