Netherlands Forensic Institute_corporate brochure_20140709

Strengthening the rule of law together

The Netherlands Forensic Institute

The Netherlands Forensic Institute

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) is one of the world’s leading

forensic laboratories. Over more than five decades, the NFI has grown into

an advanced forensic institute with over 600 staff, whose expertise covers

more than 40 different disciplines. The NFI is based in The Hague, the

Netherlands, where it operates from state-of-the art, purpose-built

premises equipped with the latest facilities.

Enhancing peace and justice National and international organisations charged with maintaining peace and ensuring justice and safety need reliable data and evidence. The NFI aims to assist them in gaining this information by developing the most innovative forensic products and services available on the market.

Extracting more from lessForensic science is playing an increasingly significant role in the fight against crime, both in guiding investigations and in providing reliable evidence. This is due to technological advances that make it possible to extract more (and more useful) information from smaller traces, and to work faster. The NFI seeks to contribute to this trend by developing advanced research methods and services.

Working globallyCrime has no borders. That is why the NFI takes an international approach, both in cooperating with international partners and in developing new forensic techniques. In this way, organisations worldwide are able to benefit from the NFI’s products and services. Special training programmes can be followed at the NFI’s headquarters in the Netherlands, on site or, through distance learning, almost anywhere in the world, as required.

A growing customer baseMost of the NFI’s customers are in the criminal justice “supply chain” – the police, public prosecutors, the judiciary and defence counsels. However, a growing range of other organisations are realising the benefits of using forensic expertise in their own work. These include ministries of defence, intelligence agencies, counter-terrorism organisations, international tribunals, authorities tasked with wildlife conservation, as well as Europol, Interpol, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the United Nations.

NFI products and servicesThe NFI provides a wide range of products and services. These include forensic tools, consultancy and training programmes, as well as specialised services in the fields of terrorism-related forensics, nuclear security and wildlife forensics.

NFI products, a brief selection

• Hansken An innovative platform for collaboration that enables “trusted users” to extract and analyse big data from storage devices and other data sources rapidly and effectively.

• NFIMemoryToolkit&Training A forensic solution for reading memory chips and recovering data from damaged or password-protected digital devices. The associated training helps police crime scene investigators and forensic laboratory staff to work with the NFI Memory Toolkit (MTK).

US Department of Homeland Security about the NFI Memory Toolkit & Training

“I feel our training was essential in moving our program forward in mobile device forensics.”

• FaradayCage A device that shields mobile devices from the internet, preventing data from being deleted or changed remotely, while still enabling the device to be charged and handled.

• Bonaparte An advanced software tool that enables quick DNA research for the purposes of Disaster Victim Identification, missing persons and familial searching. The tool was developed in collaboration with Smart Research.

NFI services, a brief selection • ForensicInvestigationabroad

The scope of the NFI’s work is international. The NFI provides assistance to international organisations, and its experts are often invited to assist in investigations outside the Netherlands. Its help has been sought in connection with a number of large-scale disasters and criminal attacks.

• CBRNeForensics The NFI is capable of assisting governments in dealing with criminal attacks involving Chemical,

E. Gallagher,  International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia about the NFI’s assistance during investigations

“On behalf of the Srebrenica Trial team at the ICTY, I would like to thank the NFI for their extensive assistance and cooperation during our investigations. (…) The trial team has benefited greatly from the support of the NFI in relationto forensic issues.”

Christine R. Martin, Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism ISN/WMDT U.S. Department of State about Nuclear Forensics

“Nuclear forensic evidence helps law enforcement and other agencies work toward preventing, mitigating, and investigating a nuclear or radiological incident (…) and the NFI in The Hague has organized an ongoing effort in the nuclear forensics focus area.”

Biological, Radiological and Nuclear material, possibly in combination with Explosives. The related programme Forensics in Nuclear Security aims at establishing an integrated international forensic response to nuclear terrorism.

• WildlifeForensics The NFI offers a wide range of forensic techniques in the fight against the smuggling of endangered, protected or dangerous species of flora and fauna.

Providing forensic knowledgeIn the context of global law enforcement and the detec-tion and prosecution of crime, the NFI sees it as one of its key tasks to make forensic expertise available to its network worldwide. To this end, the NFI founded the NFI Academy, the key to the NFI’s knowledge and expertise.

KeybenefitsThe NFI training and consultancy programmes offer many benefits. They:• Combinetheoryandpractice• Coverthelatestdevelopmentsinforensics• Aretaughtbyexperiencedprofessionals• Usestate-of-the-arttrainingmethods,including

virtual reality.

Üllar Lanno, Director of the Estonian Forensic Science Institute and Chairman of ENFSI

“This is an indispensable course for every forensic organization. Others should send their brightest and their best.”

• Forensicexperttrainingandinternships

Specific training and internship programmes that enable forensic experts and interns to take their expertise further. These may cover a broad range of forensic expertise, from DNA to digital technology, and from biometrics to drugs and forensic medicine.

• Forensicgovernanceforheadsofdepartments A unique, in-depth course for CEOs of forensic institutes and laboratories, specifically aimed at providing them with the skills to run an effective and efficient forensic institute.

• Forensicawarenesstraining The aim of the NFI’s forensic awareness courses is to create forensic awareness in all those who are directly or indirectly involved in forensic investigation. These include police officers and first-responders (such as the fire brigade and ambulance personnel) working at a crime scene as well as doctors, dentists and social workers, who are in a position to assist the early detection of forensic traces.

• ForensicExpertisefortheJudiciary A course to provide judges, lawyers and public prosecutors with insight into what forensic science can – and cannot – do.

• LabConsultancy The NFI offers consultancy on how to improve a forensic laboratory with respect to quality assurance, process improvement and business model redesign, by using Lean Six Sigma, for example.

Moreinformationacademy.forensicinstitute.nl

Tailor-madeTo meet our customers’ demands in the best possible way, NFI training programmes:• Giveabroadovervieworgointodetail,asrequired• Canbebuiltupfromready-madeand/ortailor-made

modules• TakeplaceattheNFI’sstate-of-the-arttrainingcentrein

the Netherlands or at the customer’s preferred location• Combinetraditionalclass-basedteachingwithe-learn-

ing and distance learning.

NFItrainingandconsultancyprogrammes,abriefselection

Biological Trace Analysis • Blood Spatt er Analysis • Chemical Fire Analysis; Chemical

Identifi cation Analysis • Comparative Materials Analysis • Crime Scene Analysis •

Digital Forensics • DNA Kinship Testing • Document Analysis • Drug Analysis • Elemental

Analysis of Glass and Tape • Environmental Analysis • Explosion and Explosives Analysis •

Fingerprint Individualisation • Fire, Technical and Materials Analysis • Forensic

Anthropology • Forensic Archaeology • Forensic Data Mining • Forensic DNA Analysis •

Forensic Elemental Analysis • Forensic Firearms and Ammunition Analysis • Forensic Hair

Analysis • Forensic Medicine • Forensic Paediatrics • Forensic Pathology • Forensic Speech

and Audio Analysis • Forensic Statistics • Forensic Toxicology • Gunshot Residue Analysis •

Handwriting, Typewriter and Printer Analysis • Image Analysis and Biometrics • Intelligent

Data Analysis • Interdisciplinary Forensic Analysis • Microtrace Analysis • Non-Human

Biological Trace Analysis • Paint, Fibres and Textile Analysis • Road Accident Analysis •

Scratch, Impression and Tool Mark Analysi • Soil, Water and Manure Analysis • Tear Gas

and Pepper Spray Analysis • Waste Analysis and Environmental Risk Assessment

Qualityinforensicresearch

It is vital that the data and interpretations provided by forensic scientists are reliable and objective. That is why the NFI places great value on the quality of its work, working only with validated methodologies and supporting empirical research to strengthen the objectivity of evidence and the scientific basis of forensic disciplines.

Accreditation

The NFI’s customers need to be able to demonstrate clearly to others the unimpeachable quality of the information and interpretations that they have received from the NFI. To facilitate this, the NFI ensures that its work is assessed annually by an independent accreditation institute, the Dutch Accreditation Council, to confirm that it meets accepted quality standards. The NFI’s products and services are tested systematically, and the scientific quality, consistency and integrity of its research are subjected to rigorous scrutiny.

AttheforefrontofdevelopmentsAcquiring more, better, and increasingly valuable forensic information is crucial for apprehending suspects and protecting the innocent. That is why the NFI is continu-ously looking for ways to convert its know-how and hands-on experience into forensic innovations.

OpeninnovationstrategyTo provide high-quality forensic services, the NFI invests in applied innovations. It has an open innova-tion strategy, seeking to generate new applications in

co-creation with customers. This collaborative way of developing new ideas, concepts and innovations aligns innovations with the needs of customers.

Since many forensic techniques originate from fields outside forensic science, the NFI maintains close relationships with industry, knowledge institutes and universities in order to spot new forensic opportunities as they arise. This collaboration involves jointly developing training programmes, research projects and innovative methods and tools.

Working together to advance forensic science

“The NFI strives to be the most innovative and customer-focused

supplier of forensic products and services, with the aim of providing

reliable information from traces to national and international

organisations that fi ght for peace, justice and safety.”

NFIInsideOut-A quick peek at the work of the NFI (2.5 minutes)

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Moreinformation

For more information aboutthe Netherlands Forensic Institute, and its products and services,please contact the NFI or our liaison offi cers.

ContacttheNFINetherlands Forensic InstituteMinistry of Security and Justice

PO Box 24044 | 2490 AA The HagueThe NetherlandsTelephone +31 70 888 66 66

www.forensicinstitute.nl

ContacttheNFI’sliaisonoffi cers+31 70 888 66 40accountmanagement@nfi .minvenj.nl

© Rijksoverheid | July 2014