Foulkes raises fresh police lab fears
Thu 24th Jun 2010
LOTHIANS Labour MSP George Foulkes yesterday voiced renewed fears about the future of Edinburgh's police forensic laboratory.
The Evening News revealed last year that staff feared the Scottish Police Services Authority planned to concentrate forensic work for Edinburgh and Glasgow at new laboratories at Gartcosh, Lanarkshire.
Now, in answer to a parliamentary question from Lord Foulkes, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has said the provision of forensic services is an operational matter for the SPSA.
He added: "The SPSA is currently undertaking a forensic modernisation project looking at all aspects of the service provided to police forces across Scotland. This could have an impact on how current facilities are used."
Lord Foulkes said: "This prolongs the uncertainty. I am really worried there is a plan to remove police forensic services from Edinburgh."
Forensic scientists who helped solve the Vicky Hamilton murder case remain concerned about being uprooted from Edinburgh and moved to Glasgow as part of a centralisation drive.
Staff at the police forensic lab at Howdenhall and colleagues based at Fettes are worried the Scottish Police Services Authority could decide to concentrate all their work at new laboratories to be built at Gartcosh, near Glasgow.
The SPSA insisted it had "no current plans" to close the Edinburgh lab, but admits the new-build facility at Gartcosh and another in Dundee will mean a review of forensic services across Scotland.
The forensic lab in Aberdeen has already been earmarked for closure. An insider at Howdenhall said the lab there had an excellent working relationship with police and procurators fiscal.
The insider said if the existing Edinburgh and Glasgow labs were brought together at Gartcosh, the higher rates of violent crime in Strathclyde would mean some Lothian and Borders work would "inevitably" be squeezed out.
Staff are the most important resource the SPSA have, the insider said: "Trained, experienced and expert personnel are required. A move to Gartcosh will cause some very well qualified staff with many years of experience to be lost."
Lothians Labour MSP George Foulkes continued to say the uncertainty was having a detrimental effect on staff.
"These very skilled and specialised professionals firmly believe that centralisation to Glasgow would reduce their ability to tackle and solve crime.
"I know my constituents are very concerned that if services were centralised to Glasgow, response times would be slower, samples would need to be transported, increasing the risk of loss or damage, resulting in potential arrests being missed.
"People need to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that our police force is equipped to tackle crime fast and effectively."
My colleagues, Richard Baker MSP and Lewis Macdonald MSP and I are working together in a bid to protect the standard of service and its staff across the force areas.
Tags: Forensics.
Accessibility | Privacy | Site map
The costs of this website have been met out of parliamentary resources
© George Foulkes MSP