23/06/2020
The forensic training twinning project in Turkey organises an activity on the analysis of fire residues to boost the accreditation of its laboratories
Photograph taken during the training session
There has been a new training session to lend continuity to the twinning project entitled Coroners, Training in Advanced Methods in Turkey in which specialists from the Forensics Service of the Guardia Civil advised on police techniques used in analytical chemistry to extract chemicals and enable them to be identified. This technical training allowed the participants to deepen their knowledge regarding the validation and subsequent accreditation process for the fire residues analysis method, through the use of solid phase micro-extraction with gas-mass chromatography.
The final result of the work will definitely contribute to the accreditation of Turkish police laboratories, complying with international standards defined in EN 17025:2017, on the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.
Continuous training is key for the people who work in police laboratories since they must be well trained to guarantee the reliability of their results. It is a sector in which constant updating is required since implementing scientific advances improves the chances of solving crimes. This project helps Turkey’s police services provide citizens with a quality service.
Due to the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the activity was carried out electronically through the Connect.FIIAPP training and technical assistance platform and enabled participants to improve their capacities, facilitate a rich exchange of knowledge and experiences between forensic-chemistry technicians, as well as strengthening ties between specialists from police institutions in both countries.
Meetings between scientific personnel are the best way of stretching the boundaries of knowledge, in this case, regarding the fight against crime, as frequently takes place within the European Forensic Institutes Network (ENFSI), at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) and other internationally renowned forensic institutions.
More information about the project
The main objective of this twinning project, which is funded by the European Union (EU) and managed by FIIAPP, is to increase the efficiency of Turkish forensic sciences and judicial procedures, as well as to improve the capacity of its forensic institutions through the implementation of new methods and techniques aligned with EU practices. Spanish institutions from the Ministry of the Interior, such as the Guardia Civil and the Policía Nacional, and from the Ministry of Justice, such as the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, collaborate in the project.
