Report detail

Budget - The financial report for quarter two highlights an underspend position of £0.4M at the end of the quarter which is driven by lower pay costs. The forecast position remains break even by year end for the revenue budget. Capital spending is on track and forecast to deliver on budget by year end. Discussions continue regarding the budget setting for next financial year (2026/27) for revenue, capital, and reform funding.

Drug Driving – Good progress has been made since the last Forensic Services Committee on the resourcing of the Long-Term Sustainable Model (LTSM) for Criminal Toxicology with commitment secured for Police Scotland Estates support in the development of the Full Business Case (FBC). Demand for drug driving toxicology analysis continues to track higher than expected which is a pressure on the Forensic Services revenue budget. This pressure is currently offset by the lower than expected spend on staff costs.

Forensic Service Annual Review 2024/25 – The annual review of activity undertaken last year was published on the 19th of September, this report covers a range of subjects including the Scottish Parliament reception, Delivery of Corporate Parenting plan, Launch of Drug Driving MOU, Shetland Drug Driving Pilot, Conferences, and much more. A copy of this review is included at Appendix A.

Strategic Workforce Plan – Forensic Services has been working with Skills for Justice to develop the strategic workforce plan for the organisation. The purpose of strategic workforce planning is to ensure that Forensic Services has the employees, skills, and knowledge to meet current and future demands. A comprehensive approach has been taken to develop the plan, and it is presented in four pillars, workforce planning and skills mix, education and training, recruitment and training and workforce culture and capability.

Having this strategic workforce plan is a key milestone which will allow Forensic Services to make more considered and impactful decisions on the size and shape of the workforce over the next five years. As data improves the approach will also be refined, providing greater granularity and a more systematic approach to demand forecasting. Once the analysis of the document has been completed and priority actions identified the full document will be provided to the public session of the FS Committee.

Research, Development and Innovation Strategy – Following considerable work and stakeholder engagement it is great to be able to present the first Forensic Services RD&I strategy which was reviewed at the last meeting of the Forensic Services Committee. This is an important document that sets out our approach to this critical area, in line with the Forensic Services strategic outcome that ‘We deliver high-quality and ethical services through innovative forensic science.’

The strategy sets out the importance of collaboration with academic research and public sector partners to ensure effective working across forensic and academic networks, ensuring we promote the value that Forensic Services deliver for the people of Scotland.

Health and Safety Improvement – The Forensic Services Health and Safety Business Plan has been updated and presented to the Health and Safety Committee meeting earlier this month. This plan includes the improvement work which has been identified following internal and external review of our management arrangements. Notably, a recent external review by Viridis highlighted a need to make significant improvements to our Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) documentation to ensure it is robust, accessible, and compliant to legislative requirements.

Apprentices join Forensic Services – In August Forensic Services were delighted to be joined by our first two Forensic Support Apprentices in the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh and the Rushton Court laboratory in Dundee. Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland are a form of on-the-job training that combines paid employment with the opportunity to gain an industry-recognised qualification. They allow individuals to consolidate academic learning from a formal training provider with the practical application of the leaning in the workplace environment. This is the start of a programme to develop an apprenticeship pathway into forensic science in Scotland in line with the implementation of the new Operating Model and strategic objectives.

Forensic Excellence Awards – On 19th September, the annual Forensic Excellence Awards were held in Stirling. This event recognised some of the excellent work undertaken in Forensic Services over the previous twelve months. A summary of the award winners is included below.

The Service Improvement Award was won by Richard Vallance for his work on supporting numerous large scale Police Scotland operations including most recently Operation Portaledge.

The Nitazene Stability Project team won the Science and Innovation Award. Their work has made significant recommendations to improve the detection of nitazenes in toxicology testing from fatalities.

The Outstanding Contribution Award was won by Adam Russell who is part of the Police Scotland Health and Safety Team. Adam has been instrumental in the process of developing a positive health and safety culture in Forensic Services.

The Wellbeing Award was won by Islay Mackechnie for her work on leading and advocating for wellbeing and green initiatives across Forensic Services.

The Dundee Forensic Support Team won the Team of the Year Award for their approach to building the team and delivering an excellent support service to the scientific staff in Dundee.

The Staff Member of the Year Award was won by Gail Connolly who delivered exceptional work through the year and for her role in giving testimony in Detroit for the US Department of Justice in a high-profile international drug trafficking case.

My Director’s Award was won by Pamela Strahorn for her pioneering work to introduce apprenticeships into forensic science in Scotland.
Finally, the Special Recognition Award was won by Catherine Boyle for her contribution to fingerprint casework over her 47 years of service.