Forensic Policing - A Perspective

The application of forensic science and other scientific technology in the UK plays a significant role in almost every major or serious crime investigation such as murder, robbery, and rape and also in a significant proportion of less serious crime investigations such as burglary and vehicle crime. The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) in the UK is developing a Police Science and Technology Strategy to ensure that any new scientific strategies meet the overall needs of policing and employ new technologies as quickly as possible by the police. The strategy integrates wider scientific disciplines such as social science, medical science, forensic science and physical science into one coherent science innovation stream. Several suppliers in the industrial, commercial, scientific, academic and engineering sectors are developing better relationships with the police, which would benefit from a coordinated approach. Researchers have been working to develop new ideas and approaches that enable some of the scientific processes to be conducted at the crime site.