UK Edition
Crimes are going unsolved because forensic science services are in crisis, a damning Lords report warns
Serious crimes are going unsolved and innocent people are being wrongly convicted due to a "crisis" in the forensic science industry in England and Wales, a damning report has found.
Lords on the Science and Technology Committee have warned that "justice will be in jeopardy" unless there is a radical overhaul in the quality and delivery of the service.
Forensic evidence, which can include everything from fingerprints to complex DNA profiles, constitutes a major part of modern criminal investigations and can be crucial to the success of a prosecution.
But seven years after the Forensic Science Service was privatised amid concerns over efficiency, the system has been described as being in complete crisis, with a lack of funding and an absence of leadership contributing to the problems.
In 2008 national spending on the forensic science service totalled £120 million, but last year that had fallen to just £50 million.
Lord Patel, the chair of the committee, said the issues Peers had identified meant it was “hard to have complete confidence that every criminal investigation was pursued with the correct degree of scrutiny”.
As a result criminals including rapists and even killers, could be escaping justice due to flawed investigations and prosecutions.
Recent figures also suggested that two thirds of reported burglary investigations were now closed by the police without a suspect being identified, with a “lack of forensic opportunities” often being cited as the reason.
Lord Patel said problems with the forensic science industry was "driving down the ability for police forces to investigate offences such as burglary" while also making it harder to detect other crimes.
But the report also identified worrying problems in the way defendants were being prevented from challenging forensic evidence put before the courts.
Cuts in legal aid budgets means that suspects are not always able to afford to appoint experts to check forensic evidence is of the highest standard, risking miscarriages of justice.
The committee accused the Home Office and Ministry of justice of "abdicating responsibility" and showing no leadership over the problems.
And the report criticised the Government over an "embarrassing" delay in giving the Forensic Science Regulator statutory powers that were promised in 2012.
Lord Patel said: "Our forensic science provision has now reached breaking point and a complete overhaul is needed."
He added: "Unless these failings are recognised and changes made, public trust in forensic science evidence will continue to be lost and confidence in the justice system will be threatened. Crimes may go unsolved and the number of miscarriages of justice may increase."