07/07/2020
The forensic methods twinning project in Turkey is providing new specialised training in case evaluation and interpreting of expert evidence
Photograph taken in Ankara of some of the course attendees
The Advanced Forensic Methods Training Twinning Project is making progress in improving the efficiency of forensic scientific and judicial procedures by enhancing and expanding forensic analytical skills and boosting the capacity of forensic institutions by introducing and implementing new methods and techniques in line with European Union (EU) practices. The project is fully funded by the EU, managed by the FIIAPP and employs specialists from the National Police and the Civil Guard on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior.
Recently, a five-day training course on “Case evaluation and interpretation of expert evidence” was organised, stressing the importance of the chain of custody for legal proceedings has been discussed; developing European standards for evaluation reporting in forensic science; and the challenges that forensic evidence faces and its role in court.
Specialists from the General Commissary of Scientific Police (GCSP), and members of the Spanish Civil Guard Forensics Unit and the Ministry of Justice who underwent the training are working closely with their Turkish counterparts, in this case, the Gendarmerie Forensic Department (GFD).
The chain of custody is one of the most critical processes in forensic expertise. It is essential to be able to vouch for the authenticity of evidence in court, that is, that it is the same evidence that was taken at the crime scene and that has been in the custody of a person designated to handle it and can be located at all times. The chain of custody begins with discovery and collection (at the crime scene or from a person), its transport to the laboratory for analysis and continues until the completion of its analysis and availability to the judicial authority.
The multidisciplinary team delivering the training gave an overview of case evaluation and interpretation of expert evidence, as it contains specialists involved in each phase of this process.
The activity was originally scheduled to take place at the forensic laboratories of the Gendarmerie Forensic Department in Ankara, however, due to the pandemic, it has been transformed into a remote event organised on the FIIAPP platform: connect.fiiapp.es.
