A range of promotions and new recruitments have taken place in the FCN, as the team continues to develop its people and bring in fresh talent.

All of FCN’s staff are permanent employees of Dorset Police, which hosts the national forensic capability on behalf of the NPCC. FCN is funded directly by the NPCC’s operating budget to the value of £2.8m in 2024/25. Its team is based nationwide, from the south coast to northern England and Northern Ireland.

Two promotions have been made in the Quality and Performance Directorate following a competitive internal recruitment, with James Kendall-Milnes becoming Quality Lead and Jane D’Arcy becoming Quality Specialist. Jane succeeded in her application while on maternity leave.

In the Science Development Directorate, Shelley Wilson has been appointed Research & Innovation Lead after competitive internal recruitment. FCN is also actively recruiting for two Scientific Officers on digital forensics, one permanent role and one temporary role until March 2025 both of which are open externally.

And in Support Services, Martin Penberthy has been appointed as Team Secretary from his previous role as Recruitment Administrator for the Dorset and Devon & Cornwall Alliance.

Commenting on the people moves, FCN’s Managing Director John Armstrong said: “We’re committed to developing our own people and giving them the opportunity to progress – which is exactly what we’ve done by promoting several members of the team to more senior roles.

“At the same time, FCN relies on fresh ideas and new people to keep innovating, so I’m pleased to see skilled people from the top of their field joining our team.”

FCN’s jobs page contains forensic-related vacancies for law enforcement organisations across the UK.