The introduction of forensic advisors in Belgium and their role in the criminal justice system.

Forensic advisors (FA) at the National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology (NICC), generalists in forensic science, act as an advising body to the magistrate to improve communication between the various parties involved in the investigation: magistrate, police and crime scene investigators, and forensic experts. Their role is manifold, but their main objectives are to optimise trace processing by selecting the most pertinent traces in the context of the case and by advising magistrates on the feasibility of forensic analyses in particular circumstances in regards to the latest technical advances. Despite the absence of a legal framework governing their role and involvement in judicial cases, the demand for their services has increased over the years.

On the frequency of occurrence of a peculiar polyester fibre type found in blue denim textiles.

In a double murder investigation, the victims were found after a prolonged stay in a drainage canal. In spite of the expectations, fibre examination established a multitude of primary and secondary transferred fibres. One of these fibre types was a colourless polyester fibre possessing a blue coloured molten fibre end.

Selection of an adhesive tape suitable for forensic fiber sampling.

Five commercial adhesive tapes were tested for fiber uptake and saturation, for recovery and for ease of analysis. On the basis of the results, a high tack adhesive tape has been selected to be used for forensic fiber sampling. This adhesive tape is used as sampling material in two different micro trace kits.