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STUDY VISITS TO FORENSIC INSTITUTIONS IN ICELAND AND FINLAND

In January and February 2019 IT & Forensic Audio analysis experts of the Forensic Service Department (FSD) visited Forensic Institutions in Reykjavik (Iceland) and Vantaa (Finland) to exchange professional knowledge and skills. The study visit was implemented as a part of the Nordic Council of Ministers “Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Public Administration” project in cooperation with the State Police of Latvia “Experience exchange in the field of forensic IT and Forensic Speech and Audio analysis by study visits to forensic institutions in Iceland and Finland”.

Visit to Iceland

From the 22nd to 27th January 2019 the Forensic IT and Forensic Audio experts visited Reykjavik Metropolitan Police Digital Forensics and Cybercrime Investigations Unit (RMPDFCIU), where experts compared methods, software and hardware used for conducting IT forensic examinations, as well as legislation related questions. RMPDFCIU colleagues demonstrated their unit, later FSD experts were also given a chance to visit other units of the Forensic centre, as well as to visit two police departments of the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police (Department No.1 and No.4). During the study visit FSD and RMPDFCIU experts discussed challenging questions and how they are solved. The head of the Examination Bureau of the Forensic Service Department D.Belouss introduced RMPDFCIU colleagues with the FSD experience in accreditation process of the working methods.

Forensic Audio & Voice analysis expert A. Andrejuks had a presentation and introduced RMPDFCIU experts in details with the Audio Forensic examinations related questions from legislative topics and person identification to sample analysis from real cases. Latvian experts were also given a chance to visit the unit responsible for phone tapping.

On the 25th of January experts also visited “Artificial Intelligence Conference” dedicated for automatic voice and speech recognition held in the University of Reykjavik, where presenters from “Google”, “Amazon”, “Microsoft” introduced the visitors with their latest software and hardware products for automatic speaker recognition and speech transcription.

Visit to Finland

From the 3th to 7th February 2019 the Forensic IT and Forensic Audio experts visited National Bureau of Investigation Forensic Laboratory in Vantaa, Finland. Forensic Audio & Voice analysis expert A. Andrejuks had a presentation and introduced NBI FL experts in details with the Audio Forensic examinations related questions & challenges that experts deal with during the working process in Latvia, covering also legislation related questions and sample analysis. NBI FL experts presented information on how the Forensic Audio, as well as Forensic IT examinations are held in Finland. Representative of the NBI FL Quality Management Unit had a presentation on the NBI FL history, structure, laboratory certification process. Afterwards experts from both countries compared methods, software and hardware used for conducting Audio & IT forensic examinations, discussed new possibilities in examinations and plans for the future, as well as had an opportunity to analyse real case samples (both in the field of Forensic Audio and IT examinations) together, thus exchanging practical knowledge.

FSD experts also visited Finnish Police department in Helsinki and were allowed to follow the procedure of various sample collection from suspects (including voice sample recording), that was very useful and gave some ideas to be implemented in Latvia.

The study visits to RMPDFCIU and NBI FL were very interesting and highly valuable both for the FSD experts as well as the hosting Departments in Iceland and Finland, as each side gained new knowledge and new contacts were established. Colleagues from Iceland and Finland showed interest in visiting FSD in the future to strengthen the established contacts and continue the mutual skill development.