East Midlands Knowledge Network: Routes To University Expertise

 

Northamptonshire Police

Forensic Services

Description and aims

Academic expertise has been applied to the issue of crime through a joint initiative with the Scientific Support Department of Northamptonshire Police. The aim of this partnership is to channel the skills and knowledge derived from research at the University of Leicester into enhancing the use of police forensic science to detect crime.

About Northamptonshire Police

Northamptonshire Police is one of the smaller forces in England and Wales. The police force serves the Northamptonshire County in the East Midlands. There are two territorial areas, each commanded by a chief superintendent. Each area is subdivided into a number of safer community teams responsible for local policing in the community.

How the project is being undertaken

The collaborative research initially focused on the analysis of historical forensic data from Northamptonshire Police and proved to be a treasure trove of data related to the forensic examination of crime scenes, the processing of the forensic evidence recovered and, importantly, the eventual outcome in terms of its usefulness in detecting crime. A growing area of mutual research is the enhancement of fingerprints deposited onto metal surfaces. Research with both the Physics and Chemistry Departments at the University has sought to exploit the natural corrosion of the metal surface that can be caused by contact with the fingerprint deposit.

Impacts and benefits

The collaboration between the experts at the University of Leicester Forensic Research Centre and the Northamptonshire Police Scientific Support Department has resulted in the establishment of new crime-busting techniques. The following are some of the benefits:

  • There is now the possibility of profiling serial offenders based on their substance use and their economic status. This work broke new ground in a number of areas, including moving away from traditional offender profiling research that solely investigates the relationships between offender behaviour and offender characteristics. This research has shown that offender behaviour is not the only evidence available at the crime scene that can be used to profile offenders and has demonstrated how a traditional forensic science technique (the recovery and subsequent identification of footwear impressions from a crime scene) might be used to assist in profiling the offender.
  • A novel technique was developed to enhance of fingerprints deposited on metal surfaces and this opens up new ways of investigating cold and live cases.
  • The Unit now regularly takes students on placement, producing such high quality work that certain projects have been published by renowned peer review journals.
    This collaboration has led to more research activities involving other departments at the University of Leicester.
For more information about the project

If you would like more information on the Forensic Research Centre, please contact Dr Emma Palmer, University of Leicester:
Email: ejp8@le.ac.uk
Tel: 0116 258 4394

University

University of Leicester

Academic Lead

Dr Emma Palmer

Forensic Research Centre

Contact

Dr Emma Palmer

0116 258 4394

Website

Forensic Research, University of Leicester