New Scottish Forensic Science Service director outlines future direction

Tom Nelson (C Chem MRSC), head of the Lothian and Borders Police Forensic Laboratory, has been appointed as the first director of the new Scottish Forensic Science Service, with immediate effect.

This new organisation includes the services currently provided by the Scottish Criminal Record Office, the Scottish Police College and the Scottish Police Information Strategy.

The Scottish Police Services Authority will also maintain the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and create a new national Scottish Forensic Science Service.

David Mulhern, chief executive, Scottish Police Services Authority, said: “The Scottish Forensic Science Service will pull together all our existing forensic and fingerprint capability. We will also integrate scene of crime officers, placing us at the forefront of evidence capture and analysis. By making these significant changes we will provide, for the first time a fully integrated national service from crime scene through to court.

“Tom has been involved in this area of work for many years and latterly has been committed to developing the future shape of this new organisation. I am confident that his experience and expertise will be a huge asset not only in leading the Scottish Forensic Science Service but also to the wider Scottish Police Services Authority and Criminal Justice System.”

The new director spoke to Police Professional about the developments at the heart of the new service.

He said: “These changes provide new opportunities for combined research and development within our own organisation and also with universities involved in this area of work, indeed the benefits from this new way of working can already be seen in the form of our Scientific Advisory Groups (SAGs).

“The Scientific Advisory Groups are a new development bringing together experts from each of our service locations, allowing them to talk about areas of expertise and generate best practice.

“These groups are defining the future shape of the organisation – driving forward the science and service enhancements, while making recommendations to ensure consistency across Scotland.

“The outcomes from the DNA SAG are already having an impact outside Scotland as we share our experiences with our colleagues throughout the UK.

“This integration of the forensic services also allows us to benefit from some cross disciplinary joint SAGs such as DNA/fingerprints, biology/scene of crime and chemistry/fingerprint enhan- cement.

“This has allowed specialists from a variety of disciplines to share experiences and best practice which will enable us to deliver our aspiration of an integrated quality service.

“The creation of the Scottish Forensic Science Service comprising the laboratories, the Scottish Fingerprint Service and the Scenes of Crime department gives us a unique opportunity to create a world class forensic service. This will allow us to deliver excellence in the services we provide to our two main customers – the police and the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service.

“Our objectives are challenging and I know there are other organisations who aspire to our vision, but I believe the service in Scotland is leading the way by actively working towards what is an ambitious but achievable goal. I also believe that everyone in the forensic community can contribute towards this.

“To achieve this goal the service needs to deliver quality processes, effective systems and most importantly a highly trained and motivated forensic workforce. To contribute to this we will be looking at new opportunities to develop staff to work across disciplines, sharing both knowledge and expertise.

“This modern and contemporary style to delivering police support services will enhance effectiveness, consistency and focus, developing our specialist skills in the areas most required by our customers throughout the criminal justice system.”

Mr Nelson has been a forensic scientist for 25 year