Forensic Institute
Forensic Institute
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Quality comes first at the NFI. For the NFI, quality means delivering the products requested by the client with the optimum combination of correctness, usefulness and speed. The substantive objectivity and scientific integrity of the NFI are firm preconditions in this respect.
The NFI continuously works to optimize its operating process and train new employees to become prominent examiners. In addition, knowledge is exchanged with other forensic institutes and the NFI works together with a number of Dutch and international universities.
The forensic information provided by the NFI plays an important role in the criminal justice process. The reliability of this information must therefore be beyond all doubt. This is why the NFI has an accredited quality management system. This system contributes to continuous testing of the whole operating procedure, from receipt of the application and the accompanying evidence (exhibits) to the report for the client. Thanks to this system, the NFI can guarantee – insofar as possible – that the examinations and the supporting processes are performed correctly and lead to reliable results.
Naturally it is very important for clients that the quality of the NFI’s services can be demonstrated. This is done by means of an assessment by the Dutch Accreditation Council, which is an independent institute. The NFI has been accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Council since 1994, under number L146. The accreditation is based on ISO/IEC-17025. The areas for which the NFI is accredited can be found on the website of the Dutch Accreditation Council.
Each year, an external audit is conducted and the Dutch Accreditation Council tests whether the NFI still satisfies the requirements for accreditation. The NFI also carries out its own audits (internal audits and management reviews). In addition, fellow institutes are asked to conduct reviews and the NFI takes part in external collaborative studies. This latter quality instrument enables the NFI to compare its own results with those of other laboratories and identify and acknowledge any (systematic) errors.
Within the ISO/IEC-17025 standard there are three main organisational aspects in designing and optimizing the operating processes. These three aspects are:
In practice this means that demands are defined on the basis of ISO/IEC-17025 for:
Besides process-based testing of the products and services of the NFI, scientific and legal (quality) testing also takes place. This testing mainly examines the scientific quality, consistency and integrity of the forensic examination. The readability of the examination reports is also important; the client must be able to understand what is written in the reports.
