Joanne Tierney was appointed as SPA Forensic Services Head of Change and Development in August 2022 when she assumed responsibility for the delivery of the strategic direction of Forensic Services and representing the organisation in all change and transformational activity.

Joanne has nearly 30 years’ experience in the Forensic field, starting her career as a trainee Fingerprint expert with the Police Service of Northern Ireland in 1994. In 2000 Joanne transferred to the Scottish Criminal Records Office to work as a Fingerprint Expert within the Strathclyde region.

Since moving to Scotland, Joanne has held a series of management positions including National Training Manager for the Scottish Fingerprint Service, Head of Bureau Lothian & Border’s Police, Lead Forensic Scientist and Operational Manager for Fingerprints and Biology. Joanne delivered the transformational change required in response to findings of the Scottish Government Justice Committee Inquiry (2006) and the Fingerprint Public Inquiry (2010).

As Lead Forensic Scientist, Joanne also played a key role in securing ISO 17025 Accreditation at a national level for all our Fingerprint departments, allowing SPA FS to become the first public forensic organisation to achieve this status.