Chief Executive Officer of NFI appointed Director General for Statistics Netherlands

On the nomination of Minister Kamp of Economic Affairs and the Central Commission for Statistics, the Cabinet consented to the appointment of Dr T.B.P.M. (Tjark) Tjin-A-Tsoi as Director General of Statistics Netherlands on Friday 24 January.

Tjin-A-Tsoi has been Chief Executive Officer of the Netherlands Forensic Institute since 2007.

In the period from 2007 up to the present, the NFI has made a transition to a more client-oriented organisation with a leading, international position in the world of forensic science. Its services have improved considerably, and delivery time – worldwide the greatest challenge of forensic institutes – has been reduced by more than 90%.

Breakthroughs in cases arousing public interest

The same period is characterised by several breakthroughs in high-profile cases by means of forensic DNA analysis. Examples are the murders of Christel Ambrosius, Semiha Metin, and Andrea Luten. Recently, there has been much media attention for the decisive role of DNA analysis in the cases of Marianne Vaatstra and Nicole van den Hurk.

NFI also developed advanced software that has been used successfully in the investigation of the Amsterdam indecency case against Robert M. and a large number of other cases.

Broad view

The developments within the NFI have also been noticed abroad. Dr Tjin-A-Tsoi was elected chairman of ENFSI, the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, and was asked by the American Senate to give his views on the professionalisation and modernization of the forensic field.

At the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the NFI furthermore developed the international programme ‘Forensics in Nuclear Security’. The contents of this programme will be presented during the next summit and is one of the contributions that the Netherlands will make to the NSS 2014 in The Hague.

Broadening of area of activity

NFI’s area of activity has expanded significantly in the past seven years. In addition to traditional clients, such as the police and the Public Prosecution Service, more and more organisations that are engaged in security and law are using the expertise of the NFI, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The NFI is currently active in almost 20 countries.