General
Hellenic Police Forensic Science Division (F.S.D.) is the National Forensic Service of Greece and provides significant scientific support and assistance to the work of the Police, but also to the work of all Prosecuting Authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies.
In September 2010 the Forensic Science Division was relocated in a newly-constructed building with five storeys and a total surface of about 32.000 square meters, at the outskirts of Athens.
Historical Facts
In 1919 the first “Central Office of Forensic Identification” was established and operated in Athens, which was renamed to “Central Office of Forensic Searches” in 1925. In 1929 the Central Office of Forensic Searches was named “Forensic Services Division”.
In 1992 it was promoted to “Forensic Science Division” and it became an independent Central Service.
The leading organizer of the F.S.D. laboratories in an even and scientific way and the founder –anchor of the applied forensic practice in the Police was Professor Konstantinos Gardikas, who was in charge of the Service for 36 years.
Administrative Subordination
F.S.D. is an independent Central Service of the Hellenic Police, which reports directly to the Chief of Police and its territorial authority jurisdiction extends to the entire Greek territory.
Administratively subordinate to the Forensic Science Division is the Northern Greece Forensic Science Subdivision (N.G.F.S.S.), which is located in Thessaloniki. Eleven (11) Forensic Science Departments are operating at the Headquarters of the General Regional Police Divisions, with the exception of the General Regional Police Division of Central Macedonia.
Additionally, fifty-two (52) Forensic Science Bureaus are operating at the Headquarters of the First Instance Courts.
Duties
The mission of F.S.D. is:
- the investigation of the crime scene,
- the collection and utilization of marks and evidence with the employment of modern scientific equipment,
- the composition of expert opinion reports, by applying modern, scientifically proven, internationally acclaimed and legally admissible methods,
- The coordination of the forensic searches for the tracing of wanted criminals and the tracking of missing persons,
- The provision of professional education on the scientific and technical methods of forensic science to the personnel of the Division and other entities, in order to include forensic methods in their procedures.
- The provision of advisory role in fields of the Service’s jurisdiction, e.g. composition of technical specifications for security documents, such as identity cards and passports.
- The humanitarian contribution of Forensic Sciences, such as the identification of victims of mass destruction/ identification of migrants’ corpses/ family reunions.
Organization Chart
The Forensic Science Division consists of the following:
F.S.D. Personnel
The Division’s personnel, which is constantly retraining to follow the international developments in the fast-growing field of Forensic Sciences, consists of:
- General Duties Police Officers, who are granted certifications in specialties according to Presidential Decree 342/1977, such as graphologists, fingerprints examiners, investigators, digital evidence examiners etc.
- Special Duties Police Officers, university graduates/ holders of postgraduate and doctorate degrees, such as biologists, chemists, computer science experts, physicists, etc.
- Civilian Personnel – Scientific or Administrative Personnel.
System of Quality Management
The Forensic Science Division has been certified to the international standard ISO 9001:2015 and also accredited for its applied tests and inspections with the international standards ISO 17025:2005 and ISO 17020:2012.
International Cooperation – Co-Financed European Programs
Ι . International Cooperation:
The Forensic Science Division:
- Has acceded to the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI),
- Exchanges information among Member States of the E.U. via INTERPOL, EUROPOL, EURODAC, SCHENGEN Treaty etc.,
- Is represented by expert Officers in Working Groups of the E.U., for subjects in fields of Scientific – Forensic interest.
ΙΙ . Co-financed / Research European Programs:
The Service actively participates in a multitude of co-financed programs of research and development in the field of security in cooperation with entities in a National and European level.
Contact
Hellenic Police Forensic Science Division
Tel: 2105103044
Fax: 2131527724
e-mail: dee@hellenicpolice.gr
