Forensic Science Service
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The Forensic Science Service (FSS) is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of England and Wales.
The FSS maintains seven laboratories throughout the country, and provides scene-of-crime and forensic investigation staff to the 43 police services in England and Wales, as well as to the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Revenue and Customs, HM Coroners' Service, Ministry of Defence Police and British Transport Police.
The FSS used to maintain the National DNA Database on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers. Following the move to Government-owned company, the National DNA Database is now maintained independently from the FSS.
The FSS has suffered damage to its reputation following a number of high profile quality failures, namely the failure to recover blood stains in the murder of Damilola Taylor. It has also failed to use the latest DNA profiling technology in a number of cases between 2000 and 2005. This had led to a big review of possibly 2000 cases. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) had to inform all the police forces explaining the situation and as a result, the FSS had received significant further damage to its repuation as a quality provider of forensic evidence. [1]
Scenesafe, a business division of the FSS, relocated to a new facility in Birmingham in March 2007. Scenesafe manufactures and distributes high quality forensic products.
[edit] External links
- The main FSS website is The Forensic Science Service UK
- The main Scenesafe website is Scenesafe
