Scottish fingerprint service under microscope

Radical steps to reform Scotland`s fingerprint service were unveiled by Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson on April 12 in the wake of the Shirley McKie case.

Ms McKie, a former police officer, from Troon, Ayrshire, was wrongly accused of leaving her fingerprint at the home of murder victim, Marion Ross, in 1997. Ms McKie was later cleared of perjury and sued the Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO). In February this year, she received £750,000 from the Executive in an out-of-court settlement.

The fingerprint service is be integrated into the new Scottish Forensic Science Service to give greater continuity in criminal investigation.

Ms Jamieson said: “There will be a critical review of the leadership and culture within the Scottish Fingerprint Service to create a modern workforce that is underpinned by transparent, ethical working practices which reassure the public and staff of the organisation`s professionalism.”

Existing training for staff will also be reviewed, as will the verification process used for identifying or eliminating those who may feature in a crime. A ‘safeline’ will also be set up to allow staff to seek advice or report concerns anonymously, together with internal forums for the resolution of difficult issues.

Deputy Chief Constable David Mulhern, interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Police Services Authority, drew up the action plan.

He said: “Much good work has been done to take the Scottish Fingerprint Service forward since 2000. The action plan takes stock of those changes and the service as it stands today, and seeks to identify further areas for development.

“It is rightly ambitious and will present a number of significant challenges to the organisation and its staff. However, both have consistently demonstrated their willingness to embrace change and I am confident this will continue as we strive to improve the service further.

“Experts in fingerprints, forensic science, human resources, organisation change and the legal profession have and will continue to play an important part in supporting this work. They will ensure the action plan is implemented in full and delivers the high standard of service, which we all desire.”

Other points in the new fingerprint action plan include:

• A critical review of the leadership and culture in the Scottish Fingerprint Service to create a modern workforce underpinned by transparent and ethical working practices.
• A review of existing training for staff to ensure it is world-class.
• Verification process for identifying or eliminating those who may feature in a crime to be reviewed to ensure consistency throughout Scotland and based on best practice from elsewhere.
• The non-numeric fingerprint standard – internationally seen as being more definitive than the current 16 points of comparison – to be introduced by the end of August 2006.