Go-ahead for forensic 'superlab'

Published on Thursday 8 May 2008 22:31

A LONG-AWAITED overhaul of Scotland's outdated police forensic facilities will begin next year with the building of a new multimillion-pound laboratory.

Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, yesterday said he had approved a proposal by the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA), which runs the country's four police forensic labs, to acquire land for the new facility in Dundee.

Mr MacAskill has also ordered the authority to reconsider controversial plans to close a forensics lab in Aberdeen.

He said: "The question of how best to provide forensic services to Scotland's eight police forces has been the subject of detailed discussions for several years.

"It is clear the four existing labs cannot continue to provide a high-quality service without substantial new investment.

"I have approved SPSA's proposals for a new-build, state-of-the-art lab in Dundee. When completed in 2009, this facility will greatly enhance the provision of forensic services in Scotland, benefiting the Scottish police service and the wider criminal justice system."

The move has been long-awaited by forensic scientists in Dundee, who have complained about having to work in poor-quality facilities in a converted office block. Two years ago, The Scotsman revealed that police investigations were being hampered by outdated forensic science facilities in the city.

Staff disclosed that a chronic shortage of modern labs and cutting-edge equipment meant police were having to wait weeks longer than necessary before DNA could be extracted from weapons, bloodstains and other evidence.

The SPSA had put forward a business case to merge its laboratories in Aberdeen and Dundee into one new centre in Dundee, triggering a backlash from police and politicians.

David Mulhearn, chief executive of the SPSA, said: "(Mr MacAskill] is very clear that all of Scotland should benefit from the investment we are making in forensic services – including Grampian Police and Northern Constabulary and the communities they serve."

Another police lab, in Glasgow, will be replaced with a facility to be built at a new "crime campus" at Gartcosh.