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Dr Rebecca Kogios PSM Dr Kogios is the first female Executive Director of the Victoria Police Forensic Services Department (VPFSD), having gained the role in 2019. Dr Joannah Lee Dr Lee is the first female Director of the Forensic Services Branch of the Northern Territory Police and Fire and Emergency Services (NTPFES), which she commenced in 2020. Dr Lee holds a PhD in wildlife forensics and embarked her career in 1998, with expertise in DNA analysis, bloodstain pattern analysis and wildlife forensics. [Extracted from the article]

Forensic science processes, whether human- or instrument-based, should exhibit valid, reliable and robust processes to be fit for purpose for the variety of intelligence, investigative and evidentiary applications that opinions may be provided for. Demonstration of the overarching validity of forensic science methods requires empirical evidence of the reliability, reproducibility and potential for error, while practitioners and laboratories should be able to provide evidence to support relevant competence, attention to scientific best practice and transparent and appropriate reporting. The Australian and international communities are collectively working towards gathering evidence towards demonstrable validity, with important progress being made in recent years. However, such efforts require substantial resourcing and coordination to continue or accelerate these critical endeavours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deliberate fires are a very common problem affecting all countries around the world. They create a high sense of insecurity within communities, consuming and straining many resources (human and financial). Yet, despite various attempts, significantly tackling and reducing deliberate fires has remained largely ineffective, mainly due to the case-by-case approach implemented in responding to these incidents. Drawing on the repetitive nature of some types of deliberate fires, it was shown that adopting an intelligence-based approach is promising in tackling and reducing repetitive deliberate fires. This paper presents a two-fold procedure developed to produce intelligence on a dataset of fire events that were either deliberate or unknown in origin. Firstly, through the creation of a relevant dataset (which is a peculiar problem due to the specificities of the event of fire) and secondly through the application of specific analyses. This procedure was implemented on a dataset of fire events collated from a nine-year period in the State of Geneva, Switzerland. Results show that rudimentary data and simple processing can already generate valuable intelligence, often unsuspected until then. These results provide responding agencies with a clearer understanding of the problem, which can also support their decision-making process. This study proposes the basis for the development of an integrated real-time intelligence process. Such a process would allow the systematic and real-time monitoring of fire events in general and deliberate fires in particular by providing an immediate view of the problem, detecting recurrent events and revealing linkages between cases indicating repetitions. In terms of policies and governance, such a study should encourage institutions that deal with fires to collectively reshape their objectives, share data and analyses, and coordinate their actions to reduce harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the support of ANZFEC, the forensic science community and the hard work and dedication of the NIFS team, NIFS was able to achieve many significant outcomes. Leaving my role as Director of the National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS) at the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) was an extremely difficult decision, but I am proud of the accomplishments we were able to achieve during my time there and the position of strength the Institute now enjoys. I took over as Director NIFS in July 2015, at the time NIFS was moving from a police only funded agency (having been integrated into ANZPAA in 2008) to a police and non-police funded agency[1]. [Extracted from the article]

Recent criticism of forensic science has focused on the fundamental aspects of the science, including the lack of supporting empirical studies, validation, accreditation, limitations and error rates. Proficiency tests are an essential component of accreditation and can be used to evaluate laboratory performance and identify systematic issues within components of the service provision. In 2016 we reported on the results of an analysis of 3176 CTS proficiency tests undertaken between 2005 and 2015 by Australian government service providers. The data analysed represented 43 unique CTS test types and covered 21 disciplines. Here we present further data from 2016 to 2017 and compare these results with those obtained from the previous study. These combined results further demonstrate that errors exist even though practitioners know they are examining proficiency tests and the tests undergo a review process. This study illustrates the need to continue to monitor trends in proficiency test results and also further highlights the need for well-designed, relevant, blind error rate studies to determine the approximate error rates for casework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standards establish specifications and procedures designed to ensure products, services and systems are safe, reliable and consistently perform as intended. Standards can be used in the accreditation of forensic laboratories or facilities and in the certification of products and services. In recent years there have been various international activities aiming at developing forensic science standards and guidelines. The most significant initiative currently underway within the global forensic community is the development of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. This paper reviews the main bodies working on standards for forensic science, the processes used and the implications for accreditation. This paper specifically discusses the work of ISO Technical Committee TC272, the future TC272 work program for the development of forensic science standards and associated timelines. Also discussed, are the lessons learnt to date in navigating the complex environment of multi-country stakeholder deliberations in standards development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australasian Forensic Science Summit was held in Canberra on 7-8 December 2016 to discuss the future challenges, changes and developments for forensic science. Practitioners, academics and stakeholders gathered to discuss the various issues within one of five working groups. The External Environments working group discussed the external drivers for change, impacts of legislation and policy and the relationship between forensic science, policing and the courts. This article presents the outcomes of the discussions, which culminated in the development of statements designed to direct and stimulate further discussions and work in the development of forensic science in Australia and New Zealand towards 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Institute of Forensic Science Australia (NIFS) was established in 1992 as a National Common Police Service, providing support to the whole forensic science community. In 2008, NIFS was incorporated into the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency and became known as ANZPAA NIFS. In this structure, ANZPAA NIFS is governed by the ANZPAA Board comprising the Police Commissioners of Australia and New Zealand. In 2013, the ANZPAA Board initiated an independent review of ANZPAA NIFS, conducted by the Honourable Frank Vincent AO QC; the report of which was released in 2014. Stemming from the Review, a new governance framework was developed, which allowed for participation in the funding and governance of ANZPAA NIFS by all forensic service providers of Australia and New Zealand and led to the creation of the Australia New Zealand Forensic Executive Committee. This created a new operating landscape for ANZPAA NIFS and led to numerous changes in how forensic science is advanced at the cross-jurisdictional level in Australia and New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles published within the issue presented as papers at the Australasian Forensic Science Summit in Canberra, Australia on December 7-8, 2016 on topics including education and training, forensic sciences' business models, and research.

Females are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at all levels of society. Fewer females are completing STEM school subjects, graduating with STEM degrees, being employed as STEM professionals, and holding senior leadership and academic positions in STEM. However, unlike almost every other STEM discipline, the overall ratio of females is higher in many forensic science disciplines. For our sector, rather than having difficulty in attracting females, the bigger issue is how we retain and promote female talent. This complex issue is exacerbated by: gender pay gaps; family role expectations; lack of visible role models or mentors; discrimination and harassment; and bias during recruitment and promotion practices. We discuss barriers relevant for women in the forensic industry and offer potential solutions. These include flexible work arrangements, sponsorship programmes, and fostering and practising an inclusive workplace culture. Gender equity programmes and exemplar STEM organizations focused on a commitment to gender parity will be explored. Harnessing untapped female talent is as much a social justice issue as employing best practices for improving the quality, diversity and output of our forensic science workforce, and research and innovation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid DNA technology has the ability to provide DNA analysis results in real-time. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential investigative value that could be gained by using a rapid DNA workflow in Australia, for reference DNA samples. A survey of police charging stations and DNA analysis laboratories in five Australian jurisdictions identified that a rapid DNA analysis workflow could have impacted the decision to release a person of interest from custody in 0.6% cases. This equates to approximately 480 people per year across Australia who could be held in custody because of DNA results obtained in real time. The survey also identified the extent of a sample backlog in one jurisdiction and highlighted practices in place which limited the number of reference DNA samples collected, thereby reducing the potential impact of the DNA database. It is anticipated that while the cost of rapid DNA technology remains significantly greater than current laboratory processing, the uptake of the technology in Australia will be limited. However, as costs reduce, rapid DNA instruments could potentially become a viable option for the future of forensic science in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forensic science is increasingly used to help exonerate the innocent and establishing links between individuals and criminal activities. With increased reliance on scientific services provided by multi-disciplinary (police, medicine, law, forensic science), and multi-organisational in the private and government sectors (health, justice, legal, police) practitioners, the potential for miscommunication resulting unjust outcomes increases. The importance of identifying effective multi-organisational information sharing is to prevent the 'justice silo effect'; where practitioners from different organisations operate in isolation with minimal or no interaction. This paper presents the findings from the second part of the Interfaces Project, an Australia-wide study designed to assess the extent of the justice silos. We interviewed 121 police, forensic scientists, lawyers, judges, coroners, pathologists and forensic physicians. The first paper published in 2013 presented two key findings: first investigative meetings were rare in adult sexual assault cases; second many medical practitioners were semi-invisible in case decision-making with this low level of visibility being due to lawyers, forensic scientists or police not being aware of the role/expertise medical practitioners offer. These findings led to the development of a flowchart model for adult sexual assault that highlights the range of agencies and practitioners typically involved in sexual assault. The rationale for the flowchart is to produce a visual representation of a typical sexual assault investigative process highlighting where and who plays a role in order to minimise the risk of justice silos. This is the second paper in a series of two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of repetitive deliberate fire events is challenging and still often ineffective due to a case-by-case approach. A previous study provided a critical review of the situation and analysis of the main challenges. This study suggested that the intelligence process, integrating forensic data, could be a valid framework to provide a follow-up and systematic analysis provided it is adapted to the specificities of repetitive deliberate fires. In this current manuscript, a specific methodology to detect deliberate fires series, i.e. set by the same perpetrators, is presented and validated. It is based on case profiles relying on specific elements previously identified. The method was validated using a dataset of approximately 8000 deliberate fire events collected over 12 years in a Swiss state. Twenty possible series were detected, including 6 of 9 known series. These results are very promising and lead the way to a systematic implementation of this methodology in an intelligence framework, whilst demonstrating the need and benefit of increasing the collection of forensic specific information to strengthen the value of links between cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the analysis of population data typed using the Promega PowerPlex 21 multiplex for the three major sub populations within Australia. Samples from 1427 declared Australian Aboriginal, 546 Pure Aboriginals from the Northern Territory, 990 Asian, and 1707 Caucasian individuals representing were analysed. Departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and linkage equilibrium (LE) were assessed using exact tests. The Aboriginal populations were shown to display significant departures from equilibrium. All four subpopulation databases are of suitable size for the purpose of estimating allele frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]