A Home Office initiative which is building a new national DNA database, latest techniques using dental records in criminal investigations and research into the social impact of forensic science were all under discussion at a conference hosted by ذكذكتسئµ Leicester (ذكذكتسئµ).
The East Midlands Forensic Network conference, hosted at ذكذكتسئµ’s Leicester Castle Business School, saw academics, Home Office representatives, industry experts and the police force’s East Midlands Special Operations Unit come together to look at the latest research advancing forensic investigations.
The Leicester Castle Business School was an appropriate venue for the conference as it was previously used as a Crown Court.
It was in this court, in 1998, that the trial of double child murderer Colin Pitchfork began. He was the first person in the world to be convicted of rape and murder using DNA profiling techniques pioneered by Sir Alec Jeffreys at the University of Leicester.
Organisers from ذكذكتسئµ said the conference was an essential way of bringing together universities, forensic companies and police forces in the East Midlands to share fresh ideas and test latest techniques, while addressing issues on the national agenda including approaches to tackling knife crime.
Kevin Farrugia, ذكذكتسئµ Associate Professor in Forensic Chemistry, said: “When we collaborate, we can better understand the challenges organisations such as the police and Home Office – as well as fellow researchers – are facing and come up with solutions.
“Organisations which rely on forensic science may not have the time to carry out a full programme of research to test latest techniques but our universities have the bodies to be able to do that.
“It is important to collaborate so that any research we do has an impact and is valuable to society.”
Leisa Nichols-Drew, Associate Professor in Forensic Biology, said: “We are really honoured to host this conference. We are so proud of our facilities and our team at ذكذكتسئµ and it is great to showcase them here.
“It is a real coming together of experts here today. We are stronger together through these collaborations.”
Emma Johnston ذكذكتسئµ Lecturer in Forensic Biology, was one of the keynote speakers at the conference, and discussed the social science perspective of forensic investigation.
She explained: “The physical aspect of forensic science is vital but it is also important that we understand forensic science in a wider social context.
“So, I am discussing my PhD, which is researching the identifying of missing migrants, but I am also looking at people’s trust in forensic science and particularly marginalised groups who do not have a prominent voice in the criminal justice system.”
Forensic Science programmes taught at ذكذكتسئµ explore the techniques used to recover, examine, analyse and present scientific evidence within a legal context, using specialist forensic laboratories on campus.
You can find out more about ذكذكتسئµ Forensic Science courses here
Posted on Monday 16 September 2024