£7 million vote of confidence for Forensics

The University has been given a major vote of confidence by the Crown Office, which has awarded the Centre for Forensics and Legal Medicine a seven-year contract worth more than £7 million.

The Centre will be given over £1 million a year for the next seven years to coordinate forensic pathology services for Tayside, Fife and Central Regions, and consolidates its position as a centre of excellence for forensics and legal medicine.

Professor Derrick Pounder, head of the Centre, said, "We carry out forensic autopsy and toxicology services on behalf of procurators fiscal in the Central Region, Tayside and Fife. This new contract will enable us to strengthen that service and make it more responsive to the needs of families."

"We will be able to increase our staff and hopefully have a faster and more efficient service which means less inconvenience for bereaved families when the procurator fiscal investigates deaths."

"It will also, for the first time, enable us to deliver a seamless service in the area with the Centre's forensic experts working alongside NHS colleagues to deliver this important service."

The contract will also enable the Centre to recruit more staff, including another forensic pathologist and two new toxicologists, further strengthening its already internationally acclaimed research role.

The range of cases investigated by the Centre includes road traffic fatalities, suicides, drug deaths, accidents at home and at work, homicides, sudden natural deaths and unexpected hospital deaths.

"Our research is already internationally recognised, particularly in the area of drug deaths. We carry out work for a variety of agencies including Amnesty International, the Council of Europe and the United Nations." said Professor Pounder.