About NFI | Netherlands Forensic Institute

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Mission statement and strategy

Mission statement

On behalf of its clients, the NFI uses state-of-the-art technology and science to provide high-quality forensic services. Passionately dedicated NFI professionals concentrate on the prompt provision of comprehensible, objective and – if necessary – multidisciplinary forensic analyses, with the aim of improving the client’s information position.

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    If necessary, forensic experts from the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) are present at the crime scene. They give independent forensic advice on the finding of and the best possible way to safeguard trace evidence.

    The NFI provides a great variety of forensic services, making use of the latest technologies and scientific insights.

    Clients of the NFI are: police, prosecution councils, judiciary and in some cases the defence. The NFI also does research for other national as well as international organisations, such as the Internal Revenue Service, criminal courts and the UN.

    It’s possible to construct a three-dimensional model of the crime scene. The advantage of such a model is that it provides more insight into the situation. Thus, it’s possible for example to make visible reconstructions of ballistic trajectories and blood trail patterns.

    In a complex case various research areas of the NFI will be involved. During a so-called ‘forensic intake’, experts from the NFI and the client are both present. Here, agreements are made about the kind of casework the NFI will undertake on behalf of the client.

    The pathologist’s task is to determine the cause of death. In this case, the investigative question is whether or not the victim’s death was caused by the bullet.

    Immediately after the autopsy the pathologist writes a report.

    It is of the utmost importance to prevent evidence from the suspect and the victim getting mixed up. However, evidence from the suspect may be also found on the victim.

    To guarantee the quality of the investigation, extensive measures are taken throughout the process to prevent contamination. That is, the pollution or mixing up of evidence. The work processes are also carefully monitored.

    Evidence such as ballistic traces may also be found on a suspect.

    Gunshot residues that are released from the sides, the bottom or the top of the firearm are deposited on, for example, the hands or sleeves of the shooter. The shooting hand of the possible shooter is examined by taking samples from the hands. The samples are analysed by means of this scanning electron microscope (SEM). This way, it can be determined whether someone has gunshot residues on their hands.

    Almost everyone has a computer at home. Often it contains information that is important to the investigation.

    A laptop opened up at the NFI is examined and data is read out on a different computer.

    During a comparative glass analysis the NFI examines the relation between glass found on the suspect and glass from the crime scene. With this device, the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICPMS), the elemental composition of a glass splinter can be analyzed, for example, to see if a person or object has been in contact with the broken vase from the crime scene. Regular appeals to this special device of the NFI are often made from abroad.

    Perpetrators often think that destroying a telephone will wipe out all the evidence. However, the NFI has developed a technology to read out chips from apparently destroyed cell phones.

    The NFI invests a lot in research and development so that its services are continually being improved and updated according to the needs of the client. It allows the institute to meet the changes in forensic questions, making use of the latest technological developments. Sometimes knowledge and technology have to be brought in from outside. For that purpose, the NFI collaborates with knowledge institutes, universities and the business world.

    Even when the investigation has been completed and the report has been handed in, the work of the forensic experts is not always finished. They can be called upon during the trial, as expert witnesses.

    The field of forensic technical research develops rapidly. The interest in the work of the NFI has increased a lot. It’s only logical that the institute keeps examining itself critically. The NFI invests in expertise and innovation in response to social, technological and scientific developments. The NFI  plays a leading role in this process, also in an international context.

Clients

The NFI provides services to clients within the criminal justice chain, such as the Public Prosecution Service and the police. A lawyer in a criminal case may also ask the examining magistrate or the public prosecutor handling the case to have the NFI conduct an examination. In addition, the NFI provides services to other persons or authorities, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, foreign police or justice authorities, or to special investigative services.

The NFI strives to achieve optimum customer satisfaction with regard to the range of products offered, the delivery times and the services provided. Core values are substantive objectivity and scientific integrity. Because the NFI conducts examinations objectively, the credibility and the reliability of the NFI are guaranteed.

Products and services

The NFI provides products and services with a high level of added value. The NFI is dedicated to Research & Development in order to be able to deliver state-of-the-art technology and science. With over thirty forensic disciplines, the NFI is the only institute in the Netherlands to offer such an extensive range of high-tech forensic services.

Staff

The employees of the NFI make a socially relevant contribution to the investigations in the criminal justice chain. They are enthusiastic, dedicated and passionate, and fulfil their role in the administration of justice as effectively and efficiently as possible. The staff members work within a single organisation, in a single multidisciplinary team. It is a team in which qualities are reinforced, in which people learn from one another and feel a common responsibility for the result. 

Ongoing development

The field of forensic examination is subject to rapid and tempestuous development. Besides having to render account in court, the NFI is increasingly called to account publicly in the media.  This raises the standards for the NFI’s communication, and the organisation examines itself critically. The NFI invests in expertise and innovation in response to social and technological developments. The NFI plays a leading role in this process, also in an international context, and wants to continue to do so.