Forensic Science Service closure forces police to use untested private firms

Forces employing suppliers without ‘due diligence’ after rushed closure of loss-making central service The closure of the Forensic Science Service has been so rushed that police forces have been forced to turn to untested private suppliers to fill the gap, a police authority has warned. Andrew White, the chief executive of the Hertfordshire police authority, said he had no choice but to sign off new contracts without doing the usual due diligence after being told that if they were not in place by the middle of July, there would be no access to forensic services in October. “This was not considered an option,” he said. Hertfordshire is one of 10 forces, including Hampshire, Kent and the City of London, in a joint competitive tendering exercise to replace the Forensic Science Service (FSS). The contracts range from simple DNA analysis from swabs taken when people are arrested, through to specialist support at crime scenes, including murder and

Posted by on August 3, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.