Forensic Science Service

Written evidence submitted by G Burton (FSS 13)

I am writing to register my concern about the proposal by the government to close the Forensic Science Service and I have listed some points below.

1. The Forensic Science Service has always led the field in terms of quality, training and research and it will England and Wales as the only country in the world that will not have a Government or state funded forensic science laboratory. The Government and ACPO say they will ensure security of supply in future and that "continued provision of effective forensics is their priority". Unless they are planning to create a new government or Police funded forensic service they will have no control over how much work the private sector will take on.

2. The independent Forensic providers have always been selective about which services they will cover taking only those which will be most profitable and will not take on difficult and lengthy time consuming tasks. In addition the F.S.S. is the only company which undertakes security clearance a condition of employment which is vital in this increasing risk of terrorist activity.

3. I do not think you can run a forensic service purely based on making a profit as it it is a service to the community to protect it and as important as the NHS. the Police have been dictating which tests they want to try and save them money and these are not always sufficient to secure a guaranteed conviction and they have negotiated lower and lower fees, but the private side will dictate the rate of fees and it could end up being more expensive as happened when the railways were privatised.

4. What will be done to ensure the private firms offer the full range of forensic services in the future? If they decide to stop forensic work the Government and ACPO will be powerless to stop them and they will have relinquished any control over forensic services in this Country. Furthermore none of the Private Companies or the Police have invested in any significant research or technical advances. The FSS has been responsible for every DNA technique advancement to date. Since the McFarland Review which advocated the commercialising of forensic science in 2003 there has been virtually no development in forensic DNA.

5. I am sure some efficiency savings could be made to the FSS and more investment in more up to date equipment would speed up testing times and increase the throughput. Since the Police have reduced the number of submissions and increasing the competition may have brought down prices but all forensic providers have struggled in recent years and they may not be in a position to expand to take on all the extra work if the FSS closes and there could be a shortage of forensic science providers and then the police will struggle to get the work done, demand will exceed supply and this will increase prices.

I trust this decision will be rediscussed and a more suitable alternative to complete privatisation found.

I am a retired Medical Practitioner.

G. Burton

31 January 2011