Management of the dead during COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia.

The emergence of a novel human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, causing severe respiratory tract infections in humans, is affecting all countries of the world and has become a global health concern. Since the virus was first identified in December 2019, the number of deaths have been propagating exponentially, causing countries across the world, including Malaysia, to increase emergency measures to combat the virus. Due to the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic does not discriminate its victims, it is of paramount importance to construct a plan for management of the dead for all suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, including the unidentified deceased, as an essential portion of the humanitarian forensic action approach. This document provides an overview on ways to maximize the local collective capacity from various government agencies to manage the dead based on the prevailing regulations and legislation in the country, in preparation for possible large scale deaths from this pandemic. The National Institute of Forensic Medicine Malaysia has improvised procedures and guidelines for management of the dead within the existing regulations in order to achieve a balance between medicolegal requirements and the safety of personnel managing the bodies of the deceased with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection; at the site of death, during transport, during postmortem procedures, storage and preparation before and during burial or cremation as well as environmental cleaning and disinfection, involving various agencies in the country. A form of temporary controlled burial is as an option to allow the reinvestigation of a decedent to help formally identify victims of the pandemic such as undocumented migrants or refugees who were previously not identified. Due to the different legal requirements and mortality rates between countries, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the management of the dead. Whenever possible, every opportunity and assistance must be given to families to mourn their loved ones, even in times of crisis or an outbreak, in order to sustain an appropriate level of dignity and respect.

Forensic answers to the 14th of July 2016 terrorist attack in Nice.

The terrorist attack of July 14, 2016 in Nice (France) was a devastating event. A man voluntarily drove a truck into a crowd gathered for the fireworks display on the seaside "Promenade des Anglais," plowing pedestrians down over more than 2 km before being shot dead. At the time of this report, a total of 86 casualties and more than 1200 formal complaints for physical and psychological injuries have been recorded. The aim of this work is to describe the forensic management of this event and its immediate aftermath. This paper reaffirms the basic tenets of disaster management: a single place of work, teamwork in times of crisis, a single communication channel with families and the media, and the validation of the identifications by a multidisciplinary commission. This paper highlights other essential aspects of the organization of the forensic effort put in place after the Nice attack: the contribution of the police at the crime scene, the cooperation between the disaster victim identification (DVI) team, and the forensic pathologists at the morgue, applying the identification (ID) process to unconscious victims in the intensive care unit, the input of volunteers, and the logistics associated with the management of the aftermath of the event. All of the victims were positively identified within 4 and a half days. For the first time in such a paper, the central role of medical students in the immediate aftermath of the disaster is outlined. The need to address the possible psychological trauma of the non-medical and even the medical staff taking part in the forensic effort is also reaffirmed.

A review of quality procedures in the UK forensic sciences: What can the field of digital forensics learn?

With a reliance on the various forms of forensic science evidence in complex criminal investigations, the measures for ensuring its quality are facing increasing scrutiny. Improvements to quality management systems, to ensure both the robust application of scientific principles and the accurate interpretation and reporting of results, have arisen as a consequence of high-profile rebuttals of forensic science evidence, combined with process improvements driven by evaluation of current practice. These improvements are crucial to ensure validity of results as well as providing assurance for all those involved in the Criminal Justice System. This work first examines the quality management systems utilised for the examination and analysis of fingerprint, body fluid and DNA evidence. It then proceeds to highlight an apparent lack of comparable quality assurance mechanisms within the field of digital forensics, one of the newest branches of forensic science. Proposals are provided for the improvement of quality assurance for the digital forensics arena, drawing on the experiences of, and more well-established practices within, other forensic disciplines.

Challenges in implementing best practice DVI guidelines in low resource settings: lessons learnt from the Meethotamulla garbage dump mass disaster.

The management of mass fatalities following disasters is a complex process which requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders and resources. A garbage dump at Meethotamulla in Sri Lanka suddenly collapsed, resulting in the death of 32 individuals. Efforts to implement best practice guidelines in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) during this disaster revealed several important aspects that need to be considered by the forensic community. Delays in initiating the legal processes to investigate and manage the incident resulted in public dissatisfaction towards the post-disaster management process. Body recovery by Police and military personnel without the involvement of medical teams had numerous shortcomings including the lack of proper tagging and photography, commingling of body parts, and non-preservation of personal items. Public expectation and demand for early release of the bodies conflicted with the necessity to undergo a stringent DVI process according to best practice guidelines. Many adaptations and alternate strategies were necessary to ensure that DVI could be done scientifically. The use of primary identification markers including odontology and DNA had many limitations including non-availability of antemortem data, resource availability and cost. Identification was established using a combination of secondary identification markers including clothing, jewelry, scars, tattoos, morphological descriptions and circumstantial evidence. In two cases, odontological features further supported positive identification. Samples for DNA were obtained and preserved but were not utilized in establishing the identities. This paper highlights the need for better public awareness and multidisciplinary commitment in managing mass fatalities and also reflects on the challenges of implementing best practice DVI guidelines in low-resource settings with different legal and socio-cultural expectations.

Healthcare Data Breaches: Implications for Digital Forensic Readiness.

While the healthcare industry is undergoing disruptive digital transformation, data breaches involving health information are not usually the result of integration of new technologies. Based on published industry reports, fundamental security safeguards are still considered to be lacking with many documented data breaches occurring as the result of device and equipment theft, human error, hacking, ransomware attacks and misuse. Health information is considered to be one of the most attractive targets for cybercriminals due to its inherent sensitivity, but digital investigations of incidents involving health information are often constrained by the lack of the necessary infrastructure forensic readiness. Following the analysis of healthcare data breach causes and threats, we describe the associated digital forensic readiness challenges in the context of the most significant incident causes. With specific focus on privilege misuse, we present a conceptual architecture for forensic audit logging to assist with capture of the relevant digital artefacts in support of possible future digital investigations.

[Forensic chemistry as a pharmaceutical discipline].

The principal objectives and problems facing forensic chemistry expertise are considered. In addition, its development as a pharmaceutical discipline, its goals and practical tasks are discussed.

A competence assessment framework for scientific support within policing in England and Wales.

The Association of Chief Police Officers commissioned Skills for Justice to develop a competence assessment framework to support police forces' scientific support units evidence the competence of their staff against nationally agreed standards of competence. This will also help forces on their journey towards ISO 17025 and ISO 17020 accreditation. A six point framework has been developed and published and is now being implemented across many forces.

[Scientific investigation in a criminal affair - the interest of a scientific coordinator]. / Investigations scientifiques dans l'enquête criminelle - Intérêt de la mise en place d'un coordinateur scientifique.

Forensic science takes ever more important place in the investigation of crime. From the scene of crime to the Court, scientific stakes are multiple. Many participants are brought into the investigation : technicians, scientists, forensic pathologists, investigators and judges. Tensions are evident between them and the place of science within the judicial process is unclear. The main reason of this situation arises because physical evidence is poorly considered in the criminal investigation and not clearly established. The training of jurists and investigators does not cater for the supervision of scientific investigation. The role and the place of the scientists must be re-examined. The resolution of the tensions could go through the implementation of a new role, the scientific coordinator. This would consist of a paradigmatic change and a new complex scientific activity. This scientist would be associated to the investigator and to the judge to advise them throughout the judicial process from the scene of crime to the court. This coordinator should be a high-level scientist, having a robust theoretical and practical training.

Quality Assurance Through Standard Operating Procedures Development and Deviation: A Medicolegal Death Investigation Systems Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Standard operating procedures drive everyday practice within any organization, including those within a forensic setting. In the event of unusual circumstances, organizations must respond rapidly to address the impact on operations while ensuring that the quality and safety outcomes of routine services are not affected. This case study illustrates how standard operating procedures can be newly developed or modified, and rapidly deployed and quickly revised, to address unusual circumstances. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic is used as an example in this case report.

Interim recommendations for the management of forensic investigation during the COVID-19 pandemic: An Italian perspective.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading around the world, representing a global pandemic. In this context, governments from around the world suspended almost all education, industry and business activities, alongside restricting the movement of people. Nevertheless, during this period, the activity of the law enforcement and forensic investigators never stopped. At present, guidelines regarding forensic autopsies of SARS-CoV-2 virus-positive cases and the handling of potentially infected biological samples are available in literature. However, less attention has been given to the development of specific adjustments to the existing crime scene investigation protocols and procedures for this exceptional time. This manuscript aims to share the methods and strategies adopted for the investigation of high priority criminal cases during the pandemic. Furthermore, other pandemic-related processes are critically explored, in order to propose adjustments for any forensic services to be prepared to face similar challenges in the future. The overall goal of this manuscript is to provide a summary of the main measures and the procedures developed to make the operations possible, while safeguarding the technicians in the field and the activity in the forensic laboratory. In order to minimize the risk of infection for personnel, adjustments to the standard practice have been proposed for each of the different phases of crime scene management, i.e. CSI call policy, equipment preparation, working groups, procedure at the scene, chain of custody and analyses of the evidence at the forensic lab. As this is a current study, based on limited cases and limited sources in the literature, changes and updates to the indications provided in this paper may be needed in the near future, according to new virological data epidemiological trends.

The good, the bad, the ugly: the NAS report on strengthening forensic science in America.

In the long run, the NRC report can only have a salutary effect on forensic science. Although the report is not exhaustive in its review of the relevant literature and the law, and although broad constituencies may never embrace its most radical proposals, the report exposes the soft underbelly of a range of technologies, the organizational problems with the institutions that generate forensic science evidence, and the timidity of the courts in pushing for better science. Even if the full promise of the report is not realized, its publication ultimately should strengthen the good in a system of law and science that has its fair share of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Helping with inquiries or helping with profits? The trials and tribulations of a technology of forensic reasoning.

The commercialization of forensic scientific provision in the UK over the last two decades has had a major role in shaping a changing epistemic identity for forensic scientists working within this jurisdiction. Efforts to match the presumed epistemological standards of the 'pure' sciences have been brought together with concerns about value for money in a new approach to the interpretation of evidence, an activity that lies at the heart of criminal investigative practice. A study of the Case Assessment and Interpretation method developed by members of the UK Forensic Science Service is used to show how a technical innovation in the delivery of forensic science services to the police has instantiated these two recent social processes.

Forensic science, genetics and wildlife biology: getting the right mix for a wildlife DNA forensics lab.

Wildlife DNA forensics is receiving increasing coverage in the popular press and has begun to appear in the scientific literature in relation to several different fields. Recognized as an applied subject, it rests on top of very diverse scientific pillars ranging from biochemistry through to evolutionary genetics, all embedded within the context of modern forensic science. This breadth of scope, combined with typically limited resources, has often left wildlife DNA forensics hanging precariously between human DNA forensics and academics keen to seek novel applications for biological research. How best to bridge this gap is a matter for regular debate among the relatively few full-time practitioners in the field. The decisions involved in establishing forensic genetic services to investigate wildlife crime can be complex, particularly where crimes involve a wide range of species and evidential questions. This paper examines some of the issues relevant to setting up a wildlife DNA forensics laboratory based on experiences of working in this area over the past 7 years. It includes a discussion of various models for operating individual laboratories as well as options for organizing forensic testing at higher national and international levels.