Forensic Innovation Centre: a UK model for academia, police and forensic science collaboration

Published in: Forensic Science International, Vol. 277, Supp. 1, pp. 1-257.

The changing profile of forensic science provision in the UK has enabled agencies engaged in criminal justice activities to investigate novel and alternative ways of working together collaboratively. The University of Portsmouth and Hampshire Constabulary have enjoyed an informal close working relationship over a number of years and this was formalised in 2015 with the development of a business partnership that has seen operational police staff relocate to Portsmouth’s city campus site. The Forensic Innovation Centre was born in University estate, which provides state of the art accommodation - comprising an interactive, two-bedroom apartment teaching space and working space for operational police staff. As Honorary Lecturers, some Constabulary staff share their expertise with undergraduate and postgraduate students and many are mentors for a suite of work experience internships and volunteer placements offered across a range of their disciplines, including Crime Scene Investigation, Digital Forensics and Scientific Services. These unique opportunities have led to employability improvements for students, in some cases culminating in employment. The natural progression from the success of this partnership has been to engage with a commercial forensic services provider to complement the police and academic basis of the Forensic Innovation Centre. 2017 has seen the signing of a contract to progress a tripartite agreement with Key Forensic Services Ltd. This arrangement neatly encapsulates a series of solutions for both the public and private aspects of the criminal justice sector. Police forces are facing times of austerity and real demands to reduce their expenditure by committing to tangible cost savings and so look to industry to identify methods by which to achieve this. Private companies need to work in conjunction with service providers to identify where best to target their investments. Both the private and public agencies can rely on the support of the academic community to evaluate, document and ultimately publish findings. This model of mutually beneficial collaboration to progress forensic research is being emulated by other such agencies across the UK.