The way forward – raising educational standards for scientific support personnel in the UK

Abstract

Various factors have led to a certain lack of public confidence in scientific evidence. As a result of the change in funding of the United Kingdom Forensic Science Service, the role of the scientific support services has become crucial to the investigation of crime. The paper raises the issue of educational qualifications in the police scientific support services and evaluates the current qualifications available. A Bachelor of Science degree is proposed, based on a distance learning package, specifically designed to encompass the unique requirements of the field.