NFI annual report: opportunities for digital transformation but also challenges in finances, personnel and accessibility of forensic data
As a national knowledge institute with an executive role, the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) contributes to a safe and just society every day. The institute does so by conducting forensic analysis, by sharing knowledge and by innovating: digitalisation, automation, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science offer many opportunities. Over the coming years, the institute will face significant financial challenges, due to the cost of ICT developments and rising energy prices. An area for concern for the NFI is making sure forensic data is available to the entire criminal justice system. Arrangements need to be made in this regard, for instance with commercial parties who offer forensic analysis services. This is one of the conclusions of the State of Implementation report [in Dutch] sent to the House of Representatives.
Good, independent and reliable forensic analysis is crucial to the establishment of truth in criminal investigations. Subversive crime disrupts society. Law enforcement agencies, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) and government all have an important role to play in combating it, and so does the NFI. The NFI contributes to tens of thousands of investigations every year. As well as working for the courts, the police and the Public Prosecution Service, the NFI also assists other investigative agencies and international actors such as the United Nations (UN) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). And not only that: the NFI also makes a valuable contribution to a safer and more just society through the accumulation of knowledge and innovation.
Eighty years of transition
This year marks 25 years since the Forensic Laboratory and the Laboratory for Forensic Pathology merged to form the NFI. But the institute has been in existence for longer than that. In 1945, the Forensic Laboratory was set up. “A huge amount has changed over the past 80 years”, says CEO Marc Elsensohn. “Technological developments and innovations enable us to get more and more information out of ever smaller amounts of trace evidence, and to perform more analyses more quickly.” And whereas the NFI was initially a monopolistic executive organisation for forensic analysis, these days there are multiple suppliers conducting forensic analysis. As a result of technological developments, the police are able to conduct more analysis at the scene and there are now also commercial parties conducting forensic analysis alongside public-private partners.
National knowledge centre
For this reason, besides forensic analysis, the NFI is increasingly focusing on its role as an international knowledge institute for forensic analysis. For instance, it made a valuable contribution to the worldwide ISO standards for forensic laboratories. The NFI has undergone a digital transition and is developing new research methods, software and know-how in order to be ready for the forensic challenges of tomorrow. The NFI works with an international network of forensic institutes and with universities and business.
Last year, the institute received no fewer than three nominations for the top ten Best Government Innovations. This year, the digital platform Hansken won first prize at the European Public Sector Awards (EPSA) in the ‘Digital Transformation’ category. Hansken helps law enforcement agencies to quickly and efficiently investigate large quantities of digital trace evidence, both nationally and internationally. The European EXFILES project has enabled the NFI to crack hundreds of the latest crypto phones. The phones were mainly cracked in investigations involving serious subversive crime. For this success, the institute was presented with the Anti-Fraud Award at the Fraud Film Festival.
Opportunities
The digital transition offers many opportunities for the field of forensic analysis. Scientists can identify patterns and new connections in large quantities of data. By speeding up analyses, key information can now be provided at an early stage of the investigation. For instance, thanks to the automated Fast Identification Line, results of DNA analyses can be communicated to the police within three days. Forensic innovations can even prevent crimes, for example using the model trained by the NFI to recognise life-threatening messages in large quantities of data. These have been used to prevent kidnappings, assaults and murders.
Financial challenges
As well as opportunities, the NFI also identifies a number of challenges – for example, in the area of finances. Rising energy prices and more leave days as a result of collective labour agreements have resulted in an imbalance between the NFI’s duties and the resources available to fulfil them. The costs of the necessary updating of information services are also inconsistent with the available financial resources. Moreover, some of the ongoing investments in information services have been funded from incidental resources. Money has not been systematically allocated, which means the NFI has had to use temporary staff instead of its own permanent staff, resulting in significantly higher costs.
Accessibility of forensic data
The NFI is also concerned about the availability of forensic data to the entire criminal justice system. Not only are all suppliers of forensic analysis required to gather ever more data, the access to and management of that data represent an ever greater challenge. The data is needed to interpret measurements, conduct research for innovations, identify connections and patterns across multiple cases and recognise trends in crime. The policy of government organisations such as the NFI is to make data publicly available, unless that is not possible or permitted. That policy does not apply to commercial parties. The NFI wants to explore the options with the police, the Public Prosecution Service and other suppliers and make clear arrangements about sharing data.
The NFI is taking important strides in the area of data management, infrastructure and data-driven working, for example with the advent of the Justicelink research programme. Where permitted and where it offers added value, the NFI aims to publish datasets, such as data from experimental measurements. Examples of data published by the NFI are measurements performed on glass, mRNA, phones and gunshot residues.
Labour market
With their expertise and commitment, employees represent the capital of the NFI. The current shortages in the labour market are making it difficult for many organisations to recruit and retain qualified staff. Qualified staff are also needed by public-private and commercial parties that offer forensic analysis. This threatens to create a waterbed effect: other parties siphoning off qualified staff from the NFI in order to increase their production. For this reason, the NFI is investing in training for staff and is committed to supporting employees with AI when analysing measurement data and forensic data. This calls for all stakeholders to build knowledge not only about the potential but also about the shortcomings of AI.
Conclusion
The NFI is talking to the Ministry of Justice and Security about the above issues. The much-needed upgrading and replacement of old information services systems will be impossible without additional (systematic) funding, warns CEO Marc Elsensohn: “If no additional resources are found, the NFI will be forced to take measures that will impact production. This will have repercussions for forensic investigation for a safer society.”
The NFI’s annual figures can also be found in the State Budget.