Glasgow
The retention and examination of fingerprints in Scotland started in 1931 at Glasgow City Police, when Sergeant Bertie Hammond, a fingerprint expert from Sheffield City Police, transferred to Glasgow and established a fingerprint and photographic department, the first in Scotland.
Subsequently fingerprint bureaux developed in many Scottish forces. Each of these bureaux maintained a local fingerprint collection and undertook case work for their police force area.
This culminated in the creation of the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) in 1960 at the City of Glasgow Police Headquarters, where, as well as being the central repository for criminal records, the Scottish fingerprint collection was housed and supported by expert examiners. SCRO provided a fingerprint service to the City force.
Meantime Strathclyde Police Forensic Support Department (SPFSD) also has its roots in the City of Glasgow Police when the laboratory was established in 1943 as part of the Identification Bureau and was staffed by police officers.
A civilianisation process began in 1965 and continued with the formation of Strathclyde Police in 1975. There were approximately 10 laboratory staff and approximately 20 police and support staff employed in the Identification Bureau. Since then we have grown to the present establishment of approximately two hundred staff.
The amalgamation of forces in 1975 saw the establishment of Scotland's eight police forces and SCRO move premises to Strathclyde Police Headquarters. SCRO continued to undertake casework for Strathclyde Police, Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and provide a back up service for Northern Constabulary. The remaining five forces each retained their own fingerprint bureau.
April 1996 heralded a new era with the re-organisation of Local Authorities and the formation of Strathclyde Joint Police Board.
In 1999, the Identification Bureau harmonised with the Forensic Science Laboratory to form the Strathclyde Police Forensic Support Department.
In 2001 a national fingerprint service - the Scottish Fingerprint Service - was established and the Glasgow bureau became part of this new service. The Glasgow Bureau retained responsibility for maintaining the National Fingerprint Collection consisting of fingerprint impressions from all persons convicted of a criminal offence in Scotland and providing a 24 hour electronic fingerprint identification and verification service for the eight Scottish Police Forces.
1st April 2007 saw another chapter begin in the journey of Forensic Science provision to Strathclyde Police with the formation of the Scottish Police Services Authority - Forensic Services.
The Glasgow business unit includes the existing local laboratory services, two scene examination departments, one serving Strathclyde and the other serving Dumfries and Galloway, and a fingerprint unit.
The department provides services to Strathclyde Police and Dumfries and Galloway Police. A "national" service is provided in the areas of Documents and Handwriting, Firearms, and Firearms Discharge Residue.
The department is a Founder Member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) which has representation from most of the principal service providers throughout Europe. The aim of ENFSI is to promote co-operation between its members and their Institutions.