Drawn up by Deputy Chief Constable David Mulhern, interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Police Services Authority, the plan aims to ensure the service adopts the very best practice at all levels - from science and processes through to organisational culture.
- Integration of the Scottish Fingerprint Service with the Scottish Forensic Science Service to bring about greater continuity in criminal investigation, from the recovery of evidence at a crime scene through to the identification of the person responsible. > A critical review of the leadership and culture within the Scottish Fingerprint Service to create a modern workforce that is underpinned by transparent, ethical working practices which reassure the public and staff of the organisation's professionalism.
- A review of existing training for staff to ensure it is world-class and achieves individual and organisational excellence. The verification process used for identifying or eliminating those who may feature in a crime will be reviewed to ensure the system is consistent throughout Scotland and based on best practice from elsewhere.
- The non-numeric fingerprint standard - seen internationally as being much more definitive than the current 16 points of comparison - will be introduced to the service by the end of August 2006.
- A staff 'safeline' will be established, enabling staff to seek advice or report concerns anonymously if they prefer, together with suitable internal forums for the resolution of difficult or contentious issues.
David Mulhern said: "Much good work has been done to take the Scottish Fingerprint Service forward since 2000. The action plan takes stock of those changes and the service as it stands today, and seeks to identify further areas for development. It is rightly ambitious and will present a number of significant challenges to the organisation and its staff. However, both have consistently demonstrated their willingness to embrace change and I am confident this will continue as we strive to improve the service further.
"Experts in fingerprints, forensic science, human resources, organisation change and the legal profession have and will continue to play an important part in supporting this work. They will ensure the action plan is implemented in full and delivers the high standard of service which we all desire.
"This will be done in a fully open, transparent and accountable way so that all interested parties, including the public, are able to see these improvements being made. The public can be re-assured that everything possible is being done to create a service in Scotland that is benchmarked against the best in the world and adopts the very best practice at all levels."
Welcoming the Action Plan, Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said: "I am determined to ensure that the Scottish Fingerprint Service is recognised - at home and abroad - as truly world class. It must have the full confidence of those it serves - the public and criminal justice system. This action plan will help achieve those aims by building on the improvements introduced since 2000 and developing fingerprinting as an integrated part of the new Scottish Forensic Science Service.
"In preparing this comprehensive action plan, David Mulhern has sought the expertise of leading international fingerprint experts who will continue to make an important contribution towards its implementation. He has also taken account of the needs of staff working within the service so that their views, training and development are placed at the heart of this improvement process.
"A copy of the plan has been sent today to the Parliament's Justice 1 Committee and I will be reporting back to Parliament during the year ahead."
The Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson announced during her Parliamentary statement on the Shirley McKie case on February 23, 2006 that she had instructed David Mulhern to bring forward an action plan to develop the Scottish Fingerprint Service as an integrated part of the new Scottish Forensic Science Service from April 2007.
This will build on improvements made to the service since September 2000 when HMIC published its primary inspection report on SCRO. Those improvements have included:
- The establishment of a National Fingerprint Service.
- Introduction of national guidance on fingerprint standards and procedures.
- Rigorous procedures to ensure identification is independently verified.
- A structured training and development programme for each fingerprint expert which includes annual external competency testing.
- And a service which operates to internationally-recognised audited quality standards.
The Minister pledged that in preparing his action plan Deputy Chief Constable Mulhern would draw on the best available scientific advice and expertise in organisational development and human resource management. The three fingerprint experts, announced on March 30, 2006, include:
- Bruce Grant, Head of Counter Terrorism Forensic Services, Metropolitan Police
- Arie Zeelenberg, Senior Advisor Fingerprints, Dutch National Police Force
- Danny Greathouse, Department of Homeland Security, USA
- An expert view of current processes within the Scottish Fingerprint Service and to validate them as good practice or otherwise;
- A high level assessment of the Scottish Fingerprint Service and an indication of what areas should be prioritised within an action plan; and provide advice on the appropriateness of the main components and workstreams within it;
- Advice on best contemporary practice within the science of fingerprints; Guidance and advice on structure, policy and procedure within the Scottish Fingerprint Service.
Quelle: Publictechnology, 24.04.2006
