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Kirsty Potter, Head of Forensic Services at Northumbria Police, is leading a project in the North East to review current forensic capacity and capability and consider the potential for a long-term vision for future forensic provision across the region.
All forces are heading into times of considerable change within policing forensics after the Government announced plans to develop a National Centre of Policing, including some centralised forensic functions yet to be designed. As the Home Office continues to develop a single national policing body, local forces continue to address challenges relating to increasing forensic accreditation demand, forensic marketplace instability and the use of innovation across both traditional and digital forensics.
In the North East region there are already some very successful collaborative arrangements delivering high quality forensic services across the region. The Chief Officers of Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland Police have commissioned a review of current forensic capacity and capability across all three forces and NEROCU to consider the potential for a long-term vision for future forensic provision across the North East region.
The review will last for an initial period of six months and is a fantastic opportunity to establish the effectiveness of the region’s current forensic provision and provide recommendations that support an optimal forensic service delivery model for the North East over the next 5-10 years.
The Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for the project is Northumbria Police’s ACC Alastair Simpson who is keen to stress that this review is not being carried out with the aim of reducing any existing forensic resources or capability in the region, rather it will review existing operating models in alignment with the national direction to enhance the excellent services the region already provides and identify any future efficiencies or cost-avoidance as all forces work more closely together.
Kirsty will be supported by forensic leads and key stakeholders in each force/collaboration and will be reaching out to her network of forensic colleagues over the coming weeks, to assist with the work, welcoming contact from any forensic leads undertaking a similar approach in their region. Kirsty can be contacted on kirsty.potter@northumbria.police.uk.