UK Government Cuts Forensic Service

From Nature.com: "Forensic research faces a grim future in England and Wales, warn UK forensic scientists. Their gloomy prediction followed hot on the heels of the UK government's decision to wind down the Forensic Science Service (FSS).

The FSS is a government-owned company headquartered in Birmingham that sells its services to customers including police forces in England and Wales. The government has now promised to sell off as much of its operations as possible to the private sector. Although it had previously been suggested that the company would be privatized, it is currently losing £2 million (US$3 million) a month, and a recent National Audit Office report put its value at "a nominal figure of £1,000" in 2008–09 — down from £67 million in 2007–08.

Forensic researchers and practitioners are already expressing concerns about the demise of the FSS. "There is a real dearth of finance available for forensic research in the UK anyway," says Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Dundee. Black notes that academics were able to team up with the FSS when applying for research grants. This week's announcement "leaves us with research partners thin on the ground", she says ..."

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