Morocco’s Police Forensic Laboratory has for the sixth year received accreditation and a quality certificate in accordance with international standard ISO/IEC 17025 in a number of specialized areas, including biology, document verification and examination, fire and explosives, as well as drugs and toxic substances, Morocco’s National Police (DGSN) announced in a press release on Wednesday.
The ANSI National Accreditation Board, an American organization specializing in evaluating and monitoring specialized scientific laboratories with more than 3000 organizations accredited in approximately 80 countries, conferred the accreditation on the Casablanca laboratory.
Conducted by accredited international experts, the accreditation process included a review of compliance with quality standards for analyses in the area of criminal justice, methods of conducting accurate scientific analysis, as well as laboratory infrastructure management, human resources, procedures, and information management, protection, and utilization.
The new accreditation is the result of a program initiated by the DGSN in 2016 to modernize scientific and technical aspects of the police force and its role in criminal investigations, with the goals of integrating scientific evidence into fair trial processes, strengthening respect for public rights and freedoms as part of ordinary police work, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of criminal investigations related to emerging crimes and the use of new technologies and criminal methods.
DGSN has also inaugurated a state-of-the-art laboratory in Casablanca, equipped with integrated infrastructure and advanced work tools that comply with the latest international standards in criminal research, according to the press release. The laboratory is also using and training its employees in advanced scientific methods necessary to maintaining its international quality certificate. An expansion is planned this year to include all specializations and branches of forensic sciences.