One of the objectives of the EU funded ENFHEX project (1998-2002) was to organise Exchanges of Expertise. According to the working programme each participant in the project had to host a 3 days visit at their laboratory and invite up to 3 experts from other participant organisations. The general idea was that the exchanges would be planned to meet the aims and objectives of the Working Group in encouraging best practice and cross-border co-operation.
At the London meeting in January 1999 the representatives from the participating organisations agreed upon a framework for the content of the exchange programmes. Fixed topics to be discussed were:
- Quality Assurance and Proficiency Testing
- Training and Accreditation
- Database collections
- Casework
- Criteria for examination
- Problems of examination
- Non-standard examinations
- Scales of conclusions
Besides these topics the following issues were discussed in most exchanges: Casework Management, Recruitment, Technical equipment, Linguistic analysis, Legal aspects and The expert witness in court. It was agreed that participating experts should have a minimum experience of 4 years and a basic knowledge of the English language or the language of the host country. Further it was agreed that each host and each participant should write a report on the exchange, highlighting problems and opportunities for collaboration and harmonisation. After each exchange, a report by one of the participants was to be published in the bulletin.
All ten planned exchange visits have been realised. Below an overview is given of the dates, hosting organisations and participants. Besides experts from organisations participating in the project, in some cases also experts from other ENFSI member organisations were invited to take part in exchanges.
First exchange visit hosted by SKL Sweden, June 1999. Report published in bulletin of November 1999. Participants: Adam Craske (FSS London, England) Axel Kerkhoff (BKA, Germany) Rita ter Kuile (NFI, Netherlands)
Second exchange visit hosted by FSS London, October 1999. Report published in bulletin of April 2000. Participants: Per Haddal (NCIS, Norway) Dagmar Kurrat (LKA Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany) Astrid van Leeuwen (NFI, Netherlands)
Third exchange visit hosted by BKA Germany, December 1999. Report published in bulletin of April 2000. Participants: Paul Bagnall (FSS Wetherby, England) James McGinlay (Strathclyde Police FSL, Scotland) Katarina Lövfenberg (SKL, Sweden)
Fourth exchange visit hosted by NCIS Norway, May 2000. Report published in bulletin of November 2000. Participants: Gillian Keating (Strathclyde Police FSL, Scotland) Stephen Maxwell (FSANI, Northern Ireland) Beate Rücker-Fuchs (LKA Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
Fifth exchange visit hosted by Strathclyde Police, FSL, Scotland, October 2000. Report published in bulletin of April 2001. Participants: Ulla-Britt Åberg (SKL, Sweden) Cees ten Camp (NFI, Netherlands) (3rd from Germany unable to come due to illness)
Sixth exchange visit hosted by NFI Netherlands, December 2000. Report published in bulletin of April 2001. Participants: Patricia Pérali (IRCGN, France) José Abrantes da Cunha (LPC, Portugal) Kirsti Lehtonen (NBI-CL, Finland)
Seventh exchange visit hosted by NBI-CL Finland, April 2001. Report published in bulletin of November 2001. Participants: Ranveig Borlaug Olsen (NCIS, Norway) Gerhard Grube (LKA, Berlin) Mark Arbouine (FSS London, England)
Eight exchange visit hosted by IRCGN France, June 2001. Report published in bulletin of October 2002. Participants: Manfred Hecker (BKA, Germany) Brian Craythorne (FSANI, Northern Ireland) Gerry Metcalfe (FSS Huntingdon, England)
Ninth exchange visit hosted by FSANI Northern Ireland, September 2001. Participants: Suzanne Ericsson (SKL, Sweden) Ida Gladheim (NCIS, Norway) Wil Fagel (NFI, Netherlands)
Tenth exchange visit hosted by the LPC Portugal, April 2002. Report published in bulletin of October 2002. Participants: Romuald Vallarcher (IRCGN, France) Gianluca Ferrari (Carabinieri Rome, Italy) Magdalena Pajak (IFR Cracow, Poland)
In general the comments given by both the host laboratory and the visiting participants were very positive, particularly with respect to the detailed in-depth discussions. However, the total time allowed for discussing the various topics was thought to be too limited. The best way to improve the programme, judging by the evaluation forms, would be to spend some more time discussing certain topics. Topics mentioned as most interesting are: Scales of conclusion, Quality Assurance, Examples of cases underway and Casework procedures.
