Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the proportion of police laboratories that have achieved accreditation for forensics.

The Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate quality standards are met across the system and supports the Forensic Science Regulator’s call for police forces to achieve accreditation for a range of forensic techniques.

The National Police Chief’s Council makes regular assessments of police laboratories that have achieved accreditation and will be keeping the Department informed as this work progresses. In addition, in her latest annual report, published on 19 January 2018, the Forensic Science Regulator set out her view of the national picture for accreditation. The report can be accessed through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/forensic-science-regulator-annual-report-2017