AFSP launches collaborative industry-wide venture

The Association of Forensic Science Providers (AFSP) is launched at the Science Museum in London.

A new forensic science body that will represent the interests of the UK's independent forensic providers was officially launched on Wednesday 18 May.

The Association of Forensic Science Providers (AFSP) brings together some of the leading forensic science providers in the UK and Ireland from both the public and private sectors, and for the first time will establish a collective voice for those providers who operate independently of the police.

Those organisations involved include Forensic Science Service, LGC Forensics, Orchid Cellmark, Key Forensic, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, SPSA Forensic Services, Forensic Science Northern Ireland and the Forensic Science Laboratory Ireland.

The purpose of the new body is to drive forward scientific development, share best practice and most importantly protect and enhance the quality of forensic services delivered across the UK and Ireland.

Chair of the AFSP and Director of LGC Forensics Steve Allen will be joined at an event in the London Science Museum by the BBC's Crimewatch presenter Nick Ross to officially launch the new body.

Steve Allen, Chair of the Association of Forensic Science Providers said:

"The UK has been a world leader in forensic science for many years, however the market place of providers varies with some crime scene and evidential work carried out by individual police forces and others outsourced to private and public sector companies.

"Until now there has been no formal body to represent the interests of those private and public sector companies that operate independently of the police and that is why we have joined together to create the Association of Forensic Science Providers. Together we provide a single recognised voice for forensic science from crime scene through to court.

"Through collaborative working we recognise that we can bring real value to the development of forensic science and continue to safeguard its future in the UK and Ireland as a key component of the justice process."

Forensic science has unlocked evidence in some of the most chilling crimes of our time - offering the investigative and evidential gems that provided the link in identifying the culprit or confirming a suspect's involvement in a crime. It has been equally successful in eliminating suspects from police investigations.

This success has brought with it greater demand. As techniques become more widely known, and new developments arrive, the pressure on forensics to deliver results increases.

Steve Allen, Chair of the Association of Forensic Science Providers added:

"The valuable support that forensic science can provide to assist the police and criminal justice community is clear and the AFSP will work to maintain and continually improve this standard by identifying, sharing and promoting best practice for all aspects of the evidential process.

"Quality is the watchword for everything that we do in forensic science and that is why it will also form a significant part of our activity as we seek to set and improve scientific quality standards across our business and help inform policy development in the UK.

"Contributing to and influencing scientific development will rightly be another focus for us. Every day there are rapid improvements in science and technological advances in instrumentation. The creation of the AFSP provides new opportunities for combined research and development that will enable us to vigorously test existing processes and techniques and undertake research projects to ensure that forensic science makes an even greater contribution to convicting the guilty and protecting the public."

The AFSP has already experienced some success and demonstrated real value by working together. The collaborative exercises group works to produce materials which are not available elsewhere and which facilitate identification of best practice. Information on Health and Safety practices is shared by a group tasked with this topic. The Body Fluid Forum identifies and improves best practice for the recovery, identification and interpretation of body fluid evidence, ultimately increasing the likelihood of evidence detection in cases and improving the value of body fluid evidence within the Criminal Justice System.

AFSP members worked together to produce standards for evaluative expert opinion. These standards are published and hoped to be adopted through Europe as well as the UK.

These working groups are a new development bringing together experts from the organisations, allowing them to talk about areas of expertise and generate best practice. These groups are defining the future shape of the AFSP - driving forward the science and service enhancements, while making recommendations to ensure consistency across the UK and Ireland.