At the crime scene - forensic practitioners and crime scene officers

Every criminal leaves a trace, however microscopic. Whether it be a latent fingerprint, a hair, a drop of blood, a footwear mark, a murder weapon, a textile fibre - nothing remains undetected because we can find it. From the moment we begin to process the crime or accident scene right through to the expert analysis and final report or expert opinion, we must correctly, carefully and meticulously preserve and document all facts and traces so that they can be used as evidence in criminal proceedings.

Although Slovenian crime scene officers and forensic practitioners wish their services were not required, reality has other ideas: the number of requests for expert examinations and analyses increases every year.

We have so far managed to identify many a perpetrator. By means of human DNA examination we have, for example, found several thousand perpetrators who would otherwise have remained undetected. But no less importantly, we have also proven the innocence of a number of suspects. We are immensely proud of every single small victory, because each one contributes to the improvement of crime clearance rates and helps to ensure the safety of the residents of Slovenia.

The first Slovenian criminalistics laboratory was established in 1950 in Ljubljana. Since then forensic science has developed, introducing new methods and raising the standards of criminal investigation, especially intensively in recent decades. Today, one cannot imagine crime investigation without forensic science. We will tirelessly follow its future development and perform good, impartial and reliable forensic examinations.

National Forensic Laboratory

The National Forensic Laboratory examines physical evidence from crime scenes in order to identify, classify and individualise them for the needs of the police and the justice system. For this purpose, it uses state-of-the-art equipment operated by highly trained experts. They also participate in crime scene examinations and investigation of accidents and other incidents and in searches of premises.

The laboratory is the administrator of forensic records. It administrates a record of traces and reference samples. It is in charge of the development of forensic examination in Slovenia and prepares and implements training programmes pertaining to investigations and crime scene examinations. In 2010, the laboratory was granted accreditation LP-094 in the field of testing (SIST EN ISO/IEC 17025) by Slovenian Accreditation. The scope of the accredited activity of the laboratory is being constantly expanded as can been seen in the appendix to the accreditation document. The laboratory is qualified to perform almost one hundred different types of examinations in accordance with professional guidelines. A great majority of the most important examinations, such as human DNA analysis, examination of illicit drugs, fire residue analysis, handwriting and signatures, and latent fingerprint recovery, have already received certification.

The Slovenian National Forensic Laboratory is also a founding and respected member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) and has actively participated since 1995 in multiple working groups at the highest scientific level in Europe.

Related content

National Forensic Laboratory
European Network of Forensic Science Institutes