Fiona Douglas has been announced as the Authority’s new Director of Forensic Services. She will take up her role on 1 October 2021 following the retirement of Tom Nelson. Fiona is currently the Head of Strategy and Change for SPA Forensic Services. As Director of Forensic Services, Fiona will play a key role taking forward the Forensic 2026 Strategy, building capacity, performance and improvement across the service.
Reporting directly to the Chair of the Scottish Police Authority, Fiona will be responsible for the strategic direction, performance and scientific excellence of Forensic Services in Scotland.
Martyn Evans, Chair of the Authority, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Fiona Douglas as the next Director of SPA Forensic Services.
“Forensic Services plays a unique and important role keeping people safe and supporting the criminal justice system in Scotland. Fiona has a wealth of experience and skills in the discipline, working alongside Tom Nelson for the last ten years. This is a fantastic opportunity for her to now lead and further develop the UK’s largest public sector forensic services organisation. I look forward to working closely with her on that.”
Fiona added: “I am delighted to be appointed Director of SPA Forensic Services. I am incredibly proud of the world-leading and unique role that Forensic Services plays in the detection of crime in Scotland. Across Forensic Services we have a highly skilled and dedicated workforce who are at the heart of everything we do. I look forward to working with them and our wider partners across policing, the CROWN and PIRC to build on the progress we have made in recent years and strengthen our service and contribution further.
The announcement follows an extensive UK recruitment and selection process conducted by the Authority.
Fiona’s first appearance as Director of Forensic Services at the Forensic Services Committee will be on 25 October.
Article initially published 25 August 2021
Biography
Fiona Douglas is currently the Head of Strategic Change in Forensic Services which is part of the Scottish Police Authority. She has 24 years of experience working in Forensic Science with the past 10 years working within Scotland.
Prior to becoming Head of Strategic Change Fiona was Head of Biology within Forensic Services and led the national development of this part of Forensic Services within the Scottish Police Authority, this included the development and implementation of the new DNA24 technology that is now at the heart of DNA services provided to the justice system in Scotland.
Prior to working in Scotland Fiona worked at various locations in England and Wales within the government owned Forensic Science Service with responsibility across multi-disciplinary forensic evidence and organisational change.
Fiona has been instrumental in the development of the Forensic 2026 strategy and in has been responsible for ongoing delivery of the strategy since moving into the Head of Strategic Change role in August 2019.