Submission of Cases

ll submissions to us must be authorised according to your force guidelines. They can either be sent by recorded delivery or delivered in person if you need to talk directly to a scientist.

When you submit a case to us, it should be accompanied by a report including the following:

• Details of the submitting officer (including telephone number)
• Brief circumstances of the case
• Names and ages of all persons concerned and details of any illnesses
• A list of all documents submitted
• Which items are in question and which are specimens
• Details of what you want us to compare and prove
• All original documents that are in existence. In some cases photocopies can be examined but they may not allow a conclusive opinion to be expressed
• All questioned documents. Choosing a few documents may severely weaken the strength of evidence. If you are not sure what to submit contact us first
• Whether other documents have been submitted previously
• Which documents may be later tested for fingerprints.

Preservation of Documents

Documents should never be subject to extreme light conditions or be stored in damp surroundings and should be handled as little as possible.

Do not introduce unnecessary folds, pin holes or staple holes. If sealing items in bags or envelopes try not to use adhesive tape. Crucially documents that may be required for future treatment to develop indented impressions (ESDA analysis) should NOT be stored in plastic filing sleeves, but in paper envelopes.

Take care not to make rough notes on papers resting on top of questioned documents. If you have to send documents requiring ESDA analysis through the post, place them between sheets of thin card, or send them in padded (Jiffy) bags.