Forensic Intelligence in policing has evolved immeasurably over the last twenty years. With a varied landscape, from fingerprint dockets to footwear, fibre samples to digital, ballistics to blood spats… forensics in policing represents a challenge not just in terms of process complexity, but also in terms of the sheer quantity of data and digital evidence to manage.

Bluestar was an early pioneer in the UK nationwide Transforming Forensics initiative, and we were the chosen vendor for the National Footwear Database and National Footwear Reference Collection, so we have first rate expertise. We have also developed software for the National Injuries Database (NID) and we continue to innovate with our best-in-class Case 4 Workflow Engine, targeting forensics and more.

Case 4 – Forensic Workflow

As investigations increasingly rely on forensic disciplines for key evidence, police forces now require tailored workflow and integration to support a myriad of working practices and standards. The processes for external service providers and in-force units can be vastly different. The working practices in performing fingerprint comparisons, DNA tests and digital forensic examinations of devices and media are all coming under scrutiny with evolving national standards and operating procedures. Evidence must be traceable to stand up to scrutiny in court. As standards evolve, forces must ‘keep up’ and adapt. Not every workflow engine can handle this.

Our Case 4 workflow engine was developed from the ground up to support forensic workflow, giving you orchestration of activities across units and individuals within your force, with an ability to unite disparate systems. Your force benefits in efficiency, team performance and cost effectiveness.

Case 4 has actually been so successful that it is adaptable for use in a wide variety of disciplines outside of forensics. For example, Case 4 underpins Corvus Victim Care which manages internal processes and external agency involvement to support the victims of crime. The following diagram summarises Case4’s common features:

 

Case 4 – Key Features And Benefits

Here’s a summary of Case 4 features and benefits:

  • Case management – monitor active jobs, allocation, progress and compliance with service level agreements.
  • Configurable, flexible workflow – Support your force’s accreditation and standard operating procedures. Workflows can be standardised. Adapt to change quickly, with configurable transitions and validation rules.
    • Peer review support and verification of results.
    • Define rich interactions using simple logic statements in configuration
  • Mobile working – remote working at crime scenes with active synchronisation to allow users to work uninterrupted, regardless of signal.
  • Forensic focus – including case management, a laboratory information management system (LIMS) and integrated quality management.
  • Integration – with extracts and feeds for existing systems. Pull crime information from source or push updates to your RMS based on key events such as the identification of a suspect, or the completion of a task.
  • Automation triggers – e.g. a MoPI deletion or generation of an MG22 Forensic Information Report.
  • Digital asset management – storage and communication, various types supported
  • Built in reporting engine and management information – with performance information, simplified ISO compliance, document generation and intelligence driven focus. Management information by force, sector, beat…
  • Browser deployed – NEP compliant
  • Security as standard – with access controls
  • Built-in mapping engine
  • Intelligence workbench
  • Cross border linking
  • Support for ‘event tagging’
  • Significant efficiency savings – by automating notifications and enforcing validation
  • Maximises source information value by automating appropriate dissemination and notifications
  • Orchestrates 3rd party integration – reducing the risk of stale data, combining data across system boundaries

Case 4 is extremely adaptable. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

Ask Us About Case4 FORENSICS & Workflow

National Footwear Reference Collection (NFRC)

The National Footwear Reference Collection (NFRC) is the most comprehensive catalogue of footwear patterns currently available and is a national standard in the UK, handling more than 36,000 queries every day with sub-second response times.

We are proud to be the chosen contractor in the UK for the National Footwear Service, comprising the National Footwear Reference Collection (NFRC) and the National Footwear Database (NFD). We support accurate and timely comparison of footwear marks, with unlimited side-by-side display and enlargement, so you can match or spot differences quickly. You can also combine your local knowledge and investigation data, adding your own supplementary images, attachments, notes and other records to the data retrieved from NFD/NFRC.

Screen-shot of the National Footwear Database

National Footwear Database (NFD)

Extending the reference data of the NFRC, the National Footwear Database (NFD) combines criminal intelligence across forces, through the sharing of crime and custody reports and footwear impressions evidence. Link associated events and share across other forces and agencies, or produce comprehensive PDF reports, including multiple events, images, photos and additional data. You maintain complete control over what is included.

Other Applications

The Bluestar development programme has delivered solutions for other systems including the National Injuries Database (NID). All our products are customisable and our recording and reporting technology can be utilised to support other forensic applications.

Ask us about our Forensic INTELLIGENCE