Examination of Firearms Review: 2007 to 2010 - Interpol

8. The textile industry
The present worldwide economic climate means that more than ever, the
textile industry is in a state of flux, with availability and price or raw materials,
increased costs of labour, transportation etc. influencing the industry. Despite
this, all predictions are that the industry will expand, particularly in Asia and
China. By far the most useful tool in monitoring developments in the textile
industry (including the development and/ or emergence of new fibre types) is
the internet. To this end, the URL’s listed in the reference section [51-60] are
useful, but by no means exhaustive.
9. The future
From the case studies presented over the past three years, it is gratifying to
see examples of where fibre evidence has been used extremely effectively in
conjunction with other evidence types. Over the last few years fibre
examinations have continued to demonstrate their value as a powerful
intelligence tool in large complex enquiries, providing invaluable investigative
steers.
Practitioners, investigators and members of the judiciary need to consider a
more holistic approach in the application of forensic science to the
investigation of major crime. There has been a tendency for many to take a
blinkered approach, rather than pausing to consider, “what question am I
trying to answer?”, “What is the best way of doing this?” The future success of
fibre examinations is not solely in developments in our understanding of the
mechanisms of fibre transfer, or in the development of more discriminating
means of analysis, but in an acknowledgement of how this evidence type can
provide added value in combination with other evidence types.
It has often been said that DNA evidence can provide the “who?” part of the
equation, whilst fibres the “how?” and “when?” Whatever the accuracy of this
statement, the truth of the matter is that proper case assessment and
examination strategy planning, are the key to the future success and
development of not only fibre evidence, but to forensic science as a whole.
The EFG and SWGMAT will continue to be key in promoting and embedding
this philosophy.
10. Summary
Despite the pressures on practitioners, the considerable amount of work
relating to the forensic examination of fibres and textile materials over the last
three years, continues not only to demonstrate a willingness to develop this
evidence type, but also to address the cogent issues facing them.
In the previous 2007 report [1], the author wrote “With the increased threat of
terrorism, law enforcement agencies are continually looking to forensic
science for the provision of intelligence in these (often) complex investigations
196