Complex marks examination
Fingerprint Inquiry · The Fingerprint Inquiry Report · Issued 14 December 2011 · Addressed to: SPA Forensic Services
Government responseScottish Police Authority: Accepted (Dec 2011)Scottish Government: Noted (Dec 2011)
DeliveryScottish Police Authority says in progress (Dec 2011)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, Chapter 43; Para 39.24
The SPSA should develop a process to ensure that complex marks such as Y7 and QI2 Ross are treated differently. Such a process should include the following principal elements: (i) Examination should be by three suitably qualified examiners. (ii) Notes should be taken at each stage of ACE-V by every examiner involved in the process. Those notes should record the information specified in recommendation 52. (iii) No examiner should disclose his or her conclusion to another examiner until all three examiners have reached their independent conclusions. (iv) After all three examiners have completed their individual comparisons they should meet and review the substantive basis of their conclusions. The reasons each has for their respective conclusions should be explored, even when they agree that an identification can be made. Any differences of opinion among them should be discussed in order to determine whether the conclusion is reliable. A note should be kept of the matters discussed at the technical review meeting.
Fingerprint Inquiry, The Fingerprint Inquiry Report · 14 Dec 2011 Source PDF, page 746 →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
The Inquiry recommended establishing a separate process for examining complex fingerprint marks. In December 2011, Tom Nelson, Director of Forensic Services at the Scottish Police Services Authority, stated that in January it would launch a new approach to "specifically and separately deal with complex fingerprint marks", but did not mention examinations by three examiners, recording notes at each stage, or technical review meetings (Tom Nelson, Dec 2011).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026.
About this summary
Report-level response context
Government response
●Scottish Police Authority · Accepted · 14 Dec 2011
The Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) accepts all the Inquiry's findings and all of the recommendations made of it by the Inquiry. SPSA Forensic Services will be developing an action plan with the aim of making the necessary improvements in time for fingerprints to integrate into the new single Scottish Police Service in 2013-14.
Response document: Scottish Police Services Authority welcomes findings of Fingerprint Inquiry
●Scottish Government · Noted · 14 Dec 2011
We should all recognise that there have been significant advances in the delivery of Scotland's forensic services since the McKie case, and I am confident that the recommendations from this Inquiry will further enhance these services.
Response document: Fingerprint Inquiry
Delivery
●Scottish Police Authority says in progress · 14 Dec 2011
In January we will launch a new approach to specifically and separately deal with complex fingerprint marks, in line with the recommendations of the Inquiry today.
From: Scottish Police Services Authority welcomes findings of Fingerprint Inquiry, Tom Nelson
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The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.