Information from the fields of natural science and technology greatly facilitates the solving of crimes and subsequent presentation of evidence, or even makes this possible in the first place. By making use of scientific research results and modern equipment, it is possible to locate and analyze physical evidence which, as objective evidence, is much more reliable than many other types of evidence, such as witness statements. The Bundeskriminalamt's Forensic Science Institute has the technical and scientific facilities required for preparation of expert reports in criminal proceedings if a corresponding request is made by a police office, public prosecutor's office or court.
However, applied research is also carried out aimed at continuously improving existing research methods and developing new ones. The most recent scientific and technical knowledge is exploited for the benefit of forensic science. In this field as well, the Bundeskriminalamt serves as a central agency and coordinating body by working closely with Germany's State Criminal Police Offices, which carry out their own research and development projects, as well as with forensic institutions in other countries.
Another important task of the Forensic Science Institute is establishing centralized collections (e.g. firearms, ammunition and identity papers associated with criminal offences, as well as specimens of such items) and keeping them up to date. This information is at the disposal of the police, who can use it to identify persons or objects.
Each year more than 14,000 expert opinions and analysis reports are prepared and, if required, presented in court by staff who work in twenty different areas of forensics (e.g. central physics and chemistry laboratory, ballistics, DNA analysis, document analysis, forgery prevention, speaker identification, handwriting analysis). In certain cases, expert opinions are also prepared for police services and courts in countries throughout the world.
The staff of the Forensic Science Institute work in the fields of biology, chemistry, linguistics, pharmacology, phonetics, physics, psychology and engineering as well as in a wide variety of technical fields. They provide training for police staff from Germany and other countries in addition to holding special courses for investigating officers.