Report Summary
This report describes how the Authority has had regard to island communities in carrying out its functions over the period April 2023 - March 2024.
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Section 1 - SPA Forensic Services
SPA Forensic Services
The provision of Forensic Services to Police Scotland and the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is delivered by SPA Forensic Services following a triage and assessment criteria that is not influenced by the geographical location of the source of the demand.
Forensic Services provides its functions on a national basis and utilises a decision-making framework as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with its service users which is outlined below. This seeks to provide equality of service provision to all communities regardless of location.
Laboratory examinations of forensic casework is delivered from 4 laboratory hubs and casework is routinely delivered to and transferred within Forensic Services to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and best-value. This casework is requested by Police Scotland or instructed by COPFS.
There are also 13 sites from where Search and Recovery Scenes deploy staff trained in methods to identify and recover forensic evidence outside of a laboratory setting. This places Forensic Services resources in each Police Scotland local policing division.
The logistics of supporting crime investigations with a physical presence on the islands when required can be challenging and Forensic Services teams are well exercised in the mechanisms to deploy resources outside of mainland Scotland using both sea and air transport.
A decision-making framework is utilised to prioritise requests which will consider:
Threat/risk/harm
National and local policing priorities
Criminal justice processes
Community impact
Forensic value
This assessment will include, but not be limited to the following:
The circumstances of the scene and evidence already available/collected.
The forensic opportunities that may be present at the scene (e.g. obvious blood staining, footwear marks or discarded items).
The potential value of forensic evidence to support the sufficiency and/or corroboration of evidence in the case and subsequent report to COPFS.
A Memorandum of Understanding exists with Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) which details the arrangements for the provision of forensic services in Scotland.
The MOU seeks to achieve the following:
Appropriate and timely investigation of incidents or events which may reveal criminality
Management of instruction, necessity for and prioritisation of requests for service from Forensic Services
Efficient use of forensic science resources and capacity to properly manage prioritisation of workload.
A transparent management of the forensic science process across the justice system.
To demonstrate the level of engagement from Forensic Services to support provision of service to island communities the following case studies have been provided.
