Crimes (Forensic Procedures) Act 2000 - NSW Ombudsman - NSW ...

While some officers find this confusing, the idea is that once an officer has selected the appropriate SOP, he or
she will be prompted at each step of the way, which makes it much easier for the officer to fulfil all the legislative
requirements.
4.1.3. Training and accreditation
When the Act commenced, FPIT developed a training course so police officers could become appropriately
qualified to conduct forensic procedures. The Act defines “appropriately qualified” as having suitable professional
qualifications or experience to conduct the procedure. 265
Training is usually conducted by FPIT or by a local area command’s education and development officer. The training
course provides a comprehensive introduction to the Act, explaining police powers and responsibilities and giving
an overview of the types of circumstances in which police can conduct forensic procedures. Ombudsman officers
attended one of the forensic procedures training days run by FPIT and found the information relevant and appropriate.
Almost 7,000 officers have been trained in forensic procedures since the Act came into force. As figure 1 shows, the
bulk of these were in the first year.
Figure 01: Number of officers accredited by year.
5,000
4,676
4,500
4,000
Number of officers trained
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
784 772
1,000
499
500
137
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Year
Source: NSW Police advice received 22 June 2005. (n = 6,868)
During the training session, police officers get hands on experience in how to take DNA by buccal swab and hair
sample. The training does not cover how to take photographs or fingerprints, as police officers routinely take these at
the time of charging. It does however cover the circumstances in which police can take photos or finger, hand, toe or
foot prints as forensic procedures.
After completing the initial training course, there are no further assessment or training requirements. Officers remain
accredited whether they conduct any procedures or not. However, FPIT still runs training continuously, for new
officers and for officers who may already be accredited but would benefit from a refresher course. Some of the
larger commands run forensic procedures training up to four times a year. FPIT also constantly monitors which ten
commands are conducting the least training, and organises training for those commands. The Police Association of
NSW suggested that forensic procedures training should be mandatory each year. 266
NSW Ombudsman
DNA sampling and other forensic procedures conducted on suspects and volunteers under the Crimes (Forensic Procedures) Act 2000 41