International NFI Congress
Speech by the Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin at the International NFI Congress on 1 July 2010 (Engels uitgesproken)
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to welcome you most warmly to this congress. I am very glad to have the chance to give this speech this afternoon.
When I looked at the list or participants I was pleased by its variety.
I see there are representatives from all kinds of European countries as well as from international institutes and organisations.
Please forgive me for mentioning two people by name. To start with I want to mention and extend a warm welcome to Edmundo Balestreri, who is the State Secretary at the Ministry of Security in Brazil and who is here with his staff.
Then I would like to mention Mr Van Aartsen, mayor of The Hague.
It is a pleasure to see you here, Jozias. I know that the NFI is close to both our hearts and that the municipality is actively supporting the congress today and tomorrow. Thank you for this support. I hope - and expect - that the NFI will return the favour, for example by supplying high-quality forensic knowledge to The Hague Institute for Global Justice (IGJ) or The International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT).
Ladies and gentlemen,
Forensic research is a 'booming business'. Without doubt, this is largely due to television and such popular programmes as CSI Miami, CSI New York, CSI Las Vegas, Bones, etc. The NFI refers to itself more and more often as CSI The Hague. This is not even meant to be a joke because the NFI is, in fact, the driving force behind an innovative project called CSI The Hague. The goal of this project is to combine all the existing modern technologies and then develop methods to digitise crime scenes. The crux of the matter is the interaction between using new sensor technology, techniques for visualisation, digitising traces and new insights into virtual gaming and training.
One feature of this project is the conscious choice for public-private cooperation. In addition to the NFI, small and medium-sized businesses and large multinationals are also involved. Other partners include knowledge institutes like the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Delft University of Technology and The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
I am convinced that such a form of public-private cooperation can also be used to good effect at international level. If international partnerships share and combine knowledge, expertise, technology and practical experience, this must generate added value.
In fact, that added value is needed very badly. Only by combining our strengths can we resist the threats inevitably posed by the internationalisation of crime. Open borders and free information flows - for example via the Internet - will help us make economic and technological progress. However, we should not close our eyes to the downside, for example the security threat that the Internet also poses. Cyber attacks, like the one a few years ago in Estonia, are a real danger. The same applies to the large-scale hostile takeover of computer networks by so-called botnets. Or the deliberate disruption or even blocking of GPS signals.
All this means we are crying out for international cooperation, including in the field of forensic technology.
Another example is the global threat of terrorism. I do not just mean cyberterrorism, but also CBRNE terrorism which is terrorism which uses Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive means. I do not need to explain what the consequences of this kind of terrorism may be. Suffice to say they must be avoided at all cost.
In this context too, international forensic cooperation can play an essential role. For example through techniques which help to identify patterns and activities during the preparation stage. Or the taking of fingerprints from secured smuggled nuclear material.
Or the exchange of information from explosives databases.
In short, there are enough reasons for international cooperation.
You may be wondering where we should actually begin. I would like to mention four specific issues.
Encouraging forensic awareness
In the legal chain more can be done with forensics than is currently the case. After all, forensic research is beneficial in all kinds of ways. It is objective and is very valuable as evidence, as is the case with DNA, and certainly when it can be linked to tactical proof such as witness statements and confessions.
In addition, we must not only invest in the police or in laboratories, but also - and perhaps above all - in the other judicial actors like public prosecutors, judges and lawyers.
It has to be clear what is possible and what isn’t. Basic knowledge of forensic science is needed to estimate the value of forensic reports.
By making focused investments in awareness and knowledge transfers we can also reduce the - sometimes enormous - gap between scientists and non-scientists, in other words the gap between technical experts and the defence.
With this in mind the Netherlands Forensic Institute set up the NFI Academy to distribute knowledge and expertise, including at international level, via courses, training, exercises, lectures and congresses like this one. This has already led to the realisation of partnerships with a number of countries and institutions.
A focus on the crime scene
A second point of interest concerns the crime scenes. These are almost always the place where the forensic research starts. Everything that happens there is crucially important to what follows, namely locating and securing all the traces, proper safeguards, etc. Any mistakes made then cannot be rectified. That is why it is eminently important for the research to be carried out perfectly.
Although progress has been made on this point, there is still plenty more that can be improved. That is why consideration is being given to the idea of setting up a system of certification for all staff who work at crime scenes and, where necessary, protocols for their activities.
The same applies to the rest of the chain. In the future it may be the case that only accredited laboratories will be allowed to perform forensic research. In a European context, for example, it was recently decided that only accredited institutions are allowed to perform DNA research and research relating to fingerprints.
Targeted international cooperation
Targeted international cooperation is essential in the event of large-scale disasters and attacks. I have already mentioned the cross-border impact of CBRNE attacks and the resulting need to cooperate.
However, international cooperation in the field of forensic research can also be very valuable in the event of major plane crashes, environmental disasters and natural disasters, for example as regards DNA identification and research into the circumstances.
Often it is impossible for one or more countries to deal with such events and an international alliance is then very desirable.
Happily, initiatives are now being taken in that area as well.
One example is the development of the Justice Rapid Response initiative which unites various countries and which can count on UN support. I hope that the JRR will be followed up and will also take forensics on board.
I have understood that the NFI is going to start a JRR training programme in the near future. It is an event to which our Ministry of Justice has contributed financially, as pledged on the occasion of the Review Conference of the International Criminal Court in Kampala, Uganda on May 31st 2010.
These are very promising developments and I urge all of you to cooperate and help that new consortium to grow into a valuable and respected international forensic alliance. International exercises can contribute significantly in this respect, as can assistance and guidance by international institutions.
4. The internationalisation of databases
Lastly, I would like to refer to the internationalisation of databases. You could say that data are knowledge and knowledge is power. However, this field is complicated by two factors.
One is that the quantity of data is increasing every day. The difficulty of retrieving the right data at the right moment is increasing at the same rate. This implies a number of risks.
That is why there is a need for proper filtering, analysis and searching techniques to enable the transfer from simple data management to actual intelligent data analysis.
Of course, this implies proper and well thought-out expansion of the databases, for example those for DNA. If you reflect on the fact that even the relatively small DNA databank of the NFI generates eighty hits per week, you can see what the potential is in an international context when it comes to fighting crime.
The coming into effect of the Prüm Convention is an initial step within the EU towards information exchange. But we should not stop there. Within the legal frameworks of privacy regulations and jurisprudence, we will have to search for ways of using this extremely efficient resource for more than just our own national requirements.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I hope I have made it clear how important I believe forensic research is in an international context.
I am convinced that the people present here today have the capacity to respond to my request for forensics to be placed higher up on the international agenda. I see that there are speakers from the UN, Interpol, the tribunals, laboratories and the Bar and that fills me with confidence.
I therefore hope that today and tomorrow you will be able to examine the issues in more depth and detail and make real progress.
I would like to thank the NFI for the work it has done to organise this impressive congress which brings together so much knowledge, experience and expertise. I would like to thank you all for attending, for listening to my speech and for your contributions during these two days.