GeneralInformationOnTheNFI_tcm69-97610

8/7/2019 GeneralInformationOnTheNFI_tcm69-97610

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General information on theNetherlands Forensic Institute


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The main clients o the NFI are the Public

Prosecution Service, the police and the judici-

ary. Special investigative services or lawyers also

occasionally call on the services o the institute.

The NFI supports these chain partners in solv-

ing crimes. To this end, it is available 24 hours a

day, 7 days a week. The NFI is a division o the

Ministry o Justice. The NFI employs a total o

400 employees, the majority o whom some300 employees work in the examination

departments.

The whole criminal justice chain

The scientic examinations perormed by the

NFI lead to analysis results that can be part o

the evidence in a court case or aid in tracking

down suspects. To this end, the experts examinea wide variety o traces ound at e.g. the scene

o the crime, such as fakes o skin, bullets or

bres.

The NFI:expertise in forensic examination

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) works as an essential link in the orensic investigation

chain. Parties such as the police and the Public Prosecution Service can turn to the NFI or

assistance in criminal investigations. This concerns the examination o traces ound at the scene

o a crime. The NFI helps to ascertain the truth by perorming technical scientic analysis. In the

Netherlands the NFI is the leading authority in the application, development and dissemination o

orensic knowledge.

The courts regularly call on expert witnesses

rom the NFI to explain their reports during

legal proceedings.

The NFI is involved in the whole criminal

justice chain: rom advising the police on

securing evidence at complex crime scenes,

to the examination o evidence, to acting as an

expert in court. The institute aims to deliver its

results in such a way that the clients can usethem well in the criminal justice process.

In addition to conducting examinations, the

NFI puts a lot o energy into the development

o new methods and techniques. To achieve this

aim, it oten works together with universities

and centres o excellence. The NFI also serves as

the national centre o knowledge and expertise

with regard to orensic expertise.


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Merger o two laboratories

The NFI in its current orm is the result o the merger o two institutes: the Forensic Laboratory and the

Forensic Medical Laboratory. The Forensic Laboratory was established on 30 July 1945, while the Forensic

Medical Laboratory (later called the Forensic Pathology Laboratory) was ounded in 1951. Over the years,

the felds o activity o the two laboratories expanded considerably. Increasing possibilities in orensic

disciplines, as well as new felds o research and an increase in the importance o orensic evidenceresulted in the two institutes outgrowing their premises. In the 1970s, they moved rom their shared

premises in The Hague to Rijswijk. In 1999, the two laboratories were merged to orm the current NFI.

By merging together, the laboratories combined all the orensic disciplines in a single organization.

In 2004, the NFI moved to its current premises at Laan van Ypenburg in The Hague.

The NFI lets the silent witnesses

speak. These silent witnesses could

be traces o blood, hazardous

substances or computer hard drives.

By using the right techniques, we

can understand these witnesses and

place their signifcance in the right

context.


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The NFI perorms orensic examinations in a wide range o disciplines in the areas o technology,

medical biology and natural science. The institute covers the whole eld o orensic examination, a

eld o work that is constantly developing, as a result o which new areas o examination are created

regularly. At the same time, developments take place in existing elds o research. When necessary,

the NFI combines dierent orensic disciplines in a single investigation.

Diversity in forensic disciplines

Examinations involving DNA, digital technology,

narcotics and human remains are perormed

requently. The NFI is also highly competent in

disciplines that are not as well known; elds in

which the NFI is one o the ew parties to perorm

examinations. For example, the institute has a

orensic archaeologist who conducts his own

excavations. And thanks to research in non-

human DNA, the NFI is also able to analyse grass

on soles o shoes, which might then link those

shoes to the scene o a crime.

General and specic

Naturally, there are advantages to having many

dierent orensic disciplines available. It can

never be certain beorehand which disci-

plines will be needed to solve a case. The more

disciplines there are available, the greater the

chance that a relevant contribution can be

made to a case. Thanks to this combination o

more general and more specic examinations,

the NFI can provide a broader service to its

clients. Examinations can vary rom complex

cases (approx. 4,700 requests a year) involving

divergent areas o expertise, to standard exami-

nations (approx. 30,000 requests a year), such as

identiying drugs, blood-alcohol tests and en-

tering DNA proles o convicted oenders into

the DNA database. The NFI manages two DNA

databases. One contains the DNA proles o

suspects and convicted oenders. By compar-

ing evidence rom a crime scene with this data-

base, an oender who commits another oence

can be linked to the crime quickly. The missing

persons database is used in the identication o

unidentied human remains.


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Cooperation with the police

The FSOs (Forensic Cooperation in Investigation) are locations throughout the country where the police

and the NFI work together. Because the NFI is able to do more and more with less material, it is important

to ensure that evidence is secured properly rom the outset o the investigation. In these locations thepolice and the NFI thereore work together with regard to orensic intake interviews and with regard to

advice on the screening and monitoring o orensic research. By coordinating things properly early on, the

parties ensure that the areas o examination used are those that can achieve the most results. The parties

also remain in constant contact with each other about ongoing investigations.

Some o the orensic disciplines

available at the NFI: digital technol-

ogy, DNA analysis, glass analysis,

weapons and ammunition, pathology,

paint analysis, waste products, build-

ing materials and emissions, envi-

ronmental analysis, image analysis

and biometry, fre analysis, document

analysis, drug analysis, toxicology,

explosions and explosives, orensic

environmental analysis, hair analy-

sis, handwriting analysis, illicit drug

production, machine and printer type

analysis, gunshot residue analysis,examination o surace marks, impres-

sions andshapes, speech and audio

analysis, trafc accident investigation,

fngerprint analysis, fbre and textile

analysis.


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The case o the conficting statements

The NFI oten uses dierent orensic disciplines or a one case, as illustrated by the ollowing example.In one o the big cities a couple o men threatened two other men. The threat got out o hand, resulting

in a shooting in which two o the men involved were injured. The men gave dierent statements,

contradicting each other about the use o the gun. Forensic examination thereore had to be used to

determine the likelihood o the dierent scenarios. To do this, the NFI worked through the FSO to combine

the disciplines o pathology, weapons and ammunition, gunshot residue and orensic investigation.

The orensic doctor examined the wounds, such as the tracks o the bullets through the body. Weapons

and ammunition conducted technical analysis o the bullets and cartridges. Gunshot residue conducted

chemical analysis o fring distances, bullet entrance and exit holes and the presence o gunshot residue

on the hands o the people involved. This was ollowed by a reconstruction o the incident. The expertswere invited to the reconstruction, and each o them considered the extent to which the dierent

statements matched the fndings. This explained which o the dierent scenarios was most likely. The

experts summarised their fndings in a joint report and presented this to the Public Prosecutor, who used

the fndings in court.

Cooperation

Each case is handled by a team comprised o

the necessary specialists. This has a synergistic

eect; the experts examine a case rom dierent

angles. In large or complex cases, a orensic

intake (FIT) is perormed rst by the NFI, the

Public Prosecution Service and the police.

The orensic adviser supervises the process

in which experts assess which examinations

are needed and in which order they should be

perormed. One reason or this is that some

examinations can result in evidence no longer

being useable in other examinations.

Securing evidence

The increase in orensic disciplines and

possibilities means that the selection o traces

is becoming an increasingly complex process.

The NFI has a team o investigators specially

trained to advise the police at the crime scene.

These evidence experts assist the police in the

orensic examination o complex crime scenes

and the selection o the traces most likely to be

useul. These traces can then be analysed by the

experts o the NFI.


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The NFIs ndings oten play an important role in the criminal justice process. This means that

the demands with regard to the reliability o the orensic inormation are high. Thereore the NFI is

always working on quality. With solid quality control, good training and internal audits, the NFI

ensures that the technical and organizational operational processes are in order. The NFI

continuously strives to raise quality to a higher level. Ater all: the aim is to ascertain the truth,

and science and quality management provide a solid basis or this.

Quality of work

Each year, the Dutch Accreditation Council

(RvA) tests whether the NFI satises the

requirements o the international standard.

This does not mean that attention wanes the

rest o the time. On the contrary: the NFI uses

internal audits and strict procedures to ensure

that the level o work is consistently high. The

quality management system has been set up in

such a way that the risk o errors is as small as

possible and that errors are discovered early i

they do occur. Ascertaining the truth independ-

ently is important or the NFI. Thereore each

examination by a scientist is reviewed by

a ellow scientist.

Solid education

The experts o the NFI receive extensive internal

training consisting o a general component that

takes about a year and a hal, and a specic

component depending on the chosen area

o expertise. This research-related training

lasts one and a hal to our years. The diploma

awarded is not valid or an unlimited period,

and experts have to take an examination every

our years. Under its policy o permanent

education, the NFI sets demands or its

employees with regard to conerence visits

and keeping up to date with technical devel-

opments and literature. Experts learn how to

explain their ndings properly during their

training course in the practice court in which

the NFI has the experts do trial runs beore a

court which has been set up internally.

Content is key

Although quality control is concerned with

the processes in the NFI organization, it does,

o course, mainly concern the content o the

examinations. The Scientic and Legal Control

department stimulates and monitors the

quality o orensic examination, whether it is

asked to do so or not. The department audits

the reports, ensuring that reports are consistent

and logical in structure, with well-supported

conclusions rom a scientic orensic point

o view.


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Securing traces careully

The NFI works with the police to develop orensic-technical standards (FT standards) as needed.

These standards describe how the police can careully secure, transport and store evidence and items

holding traces. This ensures that the material submitted to the NFI is o the highest possible quality.

Quality begins with people.

A critical selection o employees,

regular control by internal and

external parties, and recertifcation

ensure that the experts continue

to develop and deliver high-quality

work.


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With hundreds o scientists and dozens o orensic disciplines, the NFI is a knowledge-intensive

organization. Developments and possibilities in various disciplines are developing rapidly. The NFI

works on new techniques and methods, keeping a close eye on international developments. In

addition, the institute sees it as its task to share its expertise. This is why the NFI acts as a centre o

knowledge and expertise or chain partners and invests in relationships with scientic and

educational institutions and the business community.

Making expertise available

The NFI readily makes its expertise available.

Cooperation with e.g. chain partners is smooth-

er i they know more about orensic science.

For this reason the institute arranges training

courses or the police, the Public Prosecution

Service and deence lawyers.

Experts rom the NFI teach in the orensic study

programmes at the University o Amsterdam,

the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and at the

police academy. The NFI contributes to the

development o the programming and oers

work placement positions. This way the NFI

invests in the level o expertise o the next

generation o orensic experts. The institute

also shares expertise beyond the Netherlands

borders. NFI sta support laboratories in

countries such as Lithuania and Croatia in

preparing or accreditation.

The experts interpret the results rom the

examinations and base their conclusions on

these results. Thereore the NFI attaches great

importance to keeping the knowledge and

expertise o sta up to date. Conerences,

networks and the exchange o techniques

contribute to keeping this knowledge current.

Cooperation is important, especially or a

relatively small institute like the NFI.

With R&D projects, the NFI ocuses on large-

scale projects in which it can collaborate with

parties rom the science and business commu-

nity as well as with law enorcement agencies.

For example, the NFI cooperates intensively

with various parties in the ght against

terrorism. And the NFI invests in research by

collaborating with the universities o

Amsterdam, Leiden and Rotterdam.

Investing in expertise


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International networkThe NFI is managing the secretariat o ENFSI, the network o European orensic institutes, until 2010. The

members o this network use each others expertise in special areas o interest, such as working groups

that work on quality systems and R&D. This way the parties raise orensic examination to a higher level

throughout Europe.

Together with the Erasmus Medical

Centre, the NFI conducts research on

defning external eatures on the basis o

a trace o DNA. This may make it pos-

sible in the uture to identiy personal

traits rom biological traces that a

person has let behind at a crime scene.

For example, DNA analysis could be

used to determine the persons hair

colour, eye colour and geographic

background.


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