Footwear Coding: Quality Accreditation

Forensic Proficiency Testing Services (FPTS) has produced a short Technical Note to provide information to forensic practitioners who offer footwear services to the Courts.

Since FPTS launched its Proficiency Test For Coding Footwear, we have had discussions with several organisations about where footwear coding fits into the overall quality accreditation timetable (for accreditation to BS EN ISO/IEC 17025 and the Forensic Science Regulator’s (FSR) “Codes”).

The FPTS Advisory Panel, at its meeting in August, reported that there had been a lot of industry-wide discussion over recent months about the accreditation of footwear coding. We have researched the situation and provide a Tech Note as a result.

The Tech Note includes new, draft text for the “Codes” supplied by the Regulator’s Office. This text updates the “Statement of accreditation requirements” for footwear to clarify the accreditation requirements based on the different processes involved in the forensic examination of footwear.

To Download the Tech Note (as a PDF), which includes draft amended text to the Forensic Science Regulator’s Codes, please click on this link: FPTS Tech Note On Accreditation Of Footwear Coding.

Support For Footwear Coding Accreditation

Proficiency Testing is a fundamental requirement of both ISO 17025 and the Regulator’s “Codes”.

We established Forensic Proficiency Testing Services to assist forensic science practitioners in achieving and maintaining accreditation by providing forensic proficiency tests, designed by forensic scientists.

“On Demand” Round
Our currently available “On Demand” round consists of 25 images of footwear impressions from known sources. These footwear impressions represent those recovered from scenes or exhibits, prints from actual footwear (such as print scans) or photographs of physical footwear items. They are supplied as hardcopy photographs and in digital format.

To find out more, to download the product spec or to place an order, please visit: Footwear Coding PT Details.

Accreditation of FPTS To ISO 17043

In May 2017 UKAS (“the sole national accreditation body recognised by the British government to assess the competence of organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.”) recommended accreditation to ISO 17043 for our current Biology PT products, subject to a number of actions to be completed satisfactorily. We hope to announce confirmation of this accreditation in the very near future.

Forensic Access has been accredited to ISO / IEC 17025 since 2010 and ISO 9001 since 2004.