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Experience exchange with Nordic countries for the uptake of best practices in the internal organization and quality management of forensic institutions

Within the scope of the project “Experience exchange with Nordic countries for the uptake of best practices in the internal organization and quality management of forensic institutions”, representatives of the State Police Forensic Service Department travelled to the forensic institutes of Iceland (11 – 13 May, 2022), Finland (20 – 22 September) and Sweden (11 – 13 October). The director, the head of the Analysis Bureau, the head of the Regional Bureau, as well as experts from the DNA unit and the deputy director visited examination laboratories and crime scene units to observe best practices in implementing LIMS systems and quality management procedures.

In all three countries, the Latvian representatives were introduced to the structure, priorities and methods implemented in all three laboratories, and the quality management systems and information systems used were demonstrated. The laboratory facilities of various units were examined, with a focus on the technical equipment. Crime scene experts were consulted about the vehicles used, the technical specifications and special equipment installed.

Additionally, the cooperation model between crime scene experts and laboratory experts was examined: while in Finland and Sweden, taking into account the geographical area of each country, crime scene experts are divided into regional units that work within one unified system. Each region has their own quality managers, who ar responsible for quality control, planning and other processes. By contrast, crime scene experts in Iceland work from one unit, covering the entire country.
The quality management systems in Finland and Sweden were more closely examined due to their high quality standards and adherence to international best practices, which lead to high quality analysis results and clear chain-of-custody, which in turn encourages better investigation of various crimes.

In discussions with colleagues, the representatives from the Forensic Service Department presented their own structure and types of analysis conducted, in addition to information about the accreditation process in accordance with ISO 17025, the quality management system implemented. Discussions with Swedish and Finnish colleagues included positive experiences in the automated exchange of data within the scope of the Prüm Decisions, while Icelandic colleagues expressed interes in the possibility of establishing a connection with the Icelandic fingerprint and DNA databases.
Colleagues from all three countries were interested in the experiences of their Latvian colleagues, and provisory agreements were reached for hosting delegations to Latvia, to become more familiar with the processes and to encourage the exchange of experience.

The main conclusion reached was that the structure where crime scene experts and laboratory experts work within one institute, especially under police management, is effective not only in Latvia, but is also an effective workflow in Iceland, Finland and Sweden. Notably, in Finland and Sweden reorganization occurred opposite to what is planned in Latvia: while these two countries transferred their forensic institutions from the Ministry of Justice to police management within the supervision of the Ministry of Interior, in Latvia it is planned to separate the laboratory workflow of the Forensic Service Department from police management and place it under Ministry of Justice supervision, effectively removing the close connection between crime scene experts and forensic experts.

11.11.2022.