Update

Budget on target

The forecast at the end of the first quarter shows Forensic Services currently in line with £44m revenue budget settlement for the current financial year. Remaining on budget will be dependent on Forensic Services delivering efficiency plans throughout the year which we are committed to meeting. Year to date Forensic Services has spent 10% of the £1 million capital budget with the remaining allocated to spend over the remainder of the financial year.

Although, due to budget pressures, staff numbers are currently below the level envisaged originally in the New Operating Model, we are managing vacancies carefully to ensure we recruit to meet the demand pressures across Forensic Services rather than on a vacancy replacement basis. We are also seeking to recruit sustainably – so Forensic Services consider the impact all recruitment decisions will have on future budget years - not just the current financial settlement for 2024-25.

Fall in recorded absence

Performance across Forensic Services remains good, particularly at a time where we started rolling out the New Operating Model across most areas of the organisation. There was also a significant improvement in recorded absences over the past year.

There was also a notable improvement in the Search and Recovery Scenes incident response times which is partly because of improving capacity and the embedding of the new processes in the Scenes Tasking Unit. Extensive performance details for Quarter 1 and the full year 2023-2024 were reported and discussed at the Forensic Services Committee on the 7thAugust.

Increase in Drug Driving capacity

Drug Driving internal capacity increased through 2023-24 and further improvements are expected to be delivered during Q2/3 of 2024-25. While these new methods are being implemented, outsourcing is being used to release the staff to deliver this work.

Demand has been higher than the expected 250 cases per month. Any cases over the monthly expected levels are immediately outsourced, so there is no risk of a backlog building up. Drug Driving demand and output remain in balance, through this combination of internal reporting and outsourcing, so there is currently little risk of cases exceeding the statutory time limit.

Forensic Services are working with colleagues in Police Scotland to ensure that there are effective processes in place across all policing divisions to ensure that samples are transferred to Forensic Services in sufficient time to allow the analytical testing to take place and for Police Scotland to report the results to COPFS within agreed timeframes, particularly taking into account the expected removal of the extended statutory time limit later this year.

Nitazenes briefing

Forensic Services have attached a briefing paper (Appendix 1) on nitazenes and their impact on Forensic Services. Nitazenes is a term used to describe a group of drugs first reported to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in 2019. They are synthetic opioids (benzimidazoles) and in general are of concern due to their potency.

Nitazenes have been detected across Scotland in a variety of drug preparations and in fatalities. Their prevalence is currently low, and their significance in fatalities is unclear and there has been no significant impact on demand for Forensic Services to date. Forensic Services support the work of Public Health Scotland through the Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) who published an alert about Nitazene-type drugs in January 2023.

Prioritising inclusion

Forensic Services, alongside SPA Corporate, are working with a specialist company - INvolve - as part of our priority to understand how to create a culture in Forensic Services where everyone can be at their best, valuing our differences and ensuring that how we work includes everyone. The Director wrote to all staff at the start of 2024 to make clear that this is a key priority for Forensic Services.

As the part of the initial work, INvolve have carried out a survey and are hosting focus groups which, after evaluation, will provide us with the practical steps to take around inclusion, highlight areas of success and improvement, an overview of the Forensic Services demographic profile, and key feedback from the organisation to the senior team which we will then act on.

Wellbeing

A total of 90 Search and Recovery Scene Examiners have had three of the four meetings with an independent counsellor planned during the first year of the Psychological Supervision Project being co-ordinated by Forensic Services Leadership Development Programme Lead. Anecdotal feedback has been encouraging, with examiners reporting that it has been the first time they have felt engaged with something that is for them and their specific needs. At the end of year one, there will be focus groups to gather feedback and complete an interim report to consider results so far and opportunities to adapt and deliver a more bespoke service and identify the value of the programme.

Members of the Senior Management Team have completed the Lifelines Scotland Training – which is an NHS-led national project which supports the wellbeing of staff working across all emergency services. This training is available to all staff across Forensic Services. Led by Forensic Services-trained staff, Lifelines Scotland is based on international research into traumatic stress. Further details are available on the Lifelines Scotland website.

Virtual Reality fire training

A second test burn – named Kelpie - which allows realistic fire investigation training to be carried out on scenes using Virtual Reality took place at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Training site, Portlethen, on 5th June. Representatives from Forensic Services, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, Police Scotland, Danish Police and independent fire investigation body Hawkins, witnessed the burn which was reported by BBC Scotland news and across social media.

The Virtual Reality technology used in the burn was developed, trialled, and delivered by colleagues from Police Scotland Digital Division and was formally handed over to Forensic Services on 21 June. This ground-breaking technology has been developed through a joint collaboration with partners and is designed specifically to improve knowledge and understanding around fire investigations while increasing training opportunities for staff.
 
Biometrics conference

Forensic Services played a key role in supporting Scotland’s first Biometrics Conference in Edinburgh in June. The Director, who spoke at the conference and took part in discussion groups, said: “Biometrics is at the core of Forensic Science in Scotland. It’s a critical technique and has revolutionised how Forensic Services have been delivered.”

Cabinet Secretary Angela Constance praised the work of Forensic Services staff in her opening speech at the conference run by the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner in partnership with colleagues from SPA Corporate and Police Scotland. The conference explored the use of Biometrics in Scotland with practitioners, academics, and criminal justice experts to promote evidence-based discussion and to increase the awareness of the Scottish Biometrics landscape.

Ensuring best value

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring best value in public service, Forensic Services has started a comprehensive self-assessment of best value right across the organisation. This work will be reported into Members of the Authority through the SPA Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee.

We have held an initial workshop with Forensic Services Senior Management Team and SPA Corporate colleagues. We will be engaging with all Forensic Services staff to take this work forward through the seven best value themes:

• Vision & Leadership
• Governance & Accountability
• Use of Resources
• Partnerships & Collaborative Working
• Community Responsiveness
• Fairness & Equality
• Performance Management & Improvement

 
Demonstrating the value of Forensic Services

The Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science in Dundee is providing significant support for the project and working group looking at how to demonstrate the value Forensic Services brings to the justice sector and the people of Scotland. A researcher, dedicated to the work and funded by the Leverhulme Research Centre, has been appointed and will be taking this work forward.

Recruitment event

An estimated 2,500 members of the public attended a joint Recruitment Showcase with Police Scotland and Forensic Services at the Recruitment and Training Centre at Jackton on 1 June 2024. We published a booklet – Working for Forensic Services – which is attached as Appendix 2 and is also published on the SPA website - to promote the work we do to applicants.

Forensic Services colleagues, members of staff associations as well as Police Scotland officers and staff all took part in the event which was well-received by the people attending.

Celebrating staff excellence

After the success of last year’s inaugural Forensic Services Excellence Awards, the second ceremony to celebrate the excellence and innovation in forensic science throughout Scotland will be held next month in Stirling.

The awards support the vision of Forensic Services - Scientific excellence for safer communities – and recognise and reward members of staff whose contribution to Forensic Services has been outstanding. The categories of the awards are:

• Greatest Contribution to Forensic Science Award
• Service Improvement Award
• Team of the Year Award
• Science and Innovation Award
• Staff Member of the Year Award
• Wellbeing Award
• Director’s Award