The future of the forensic science providers - Time to re-think our structures?

The organisation of the forensic chain, from scene of crime up to the court house, has in most countries hardly evolved with the societal needs as well as with the scientific developments. It can be expected that the forensic possibilities will be strongly enlarged in the coming years, based on the current scientific evolution. This combined with the reduction of the operating funds most laboratories are experiencing highlights the need to reflect on the way the forensic chain and its providers are organized. In this paper, we will present a model based on a cost-balanced approach and distributed competences. Specialized forensic disciplines or techniques are either made available in single points of operation, through buying in services from external providers or through international collaboration with other forensic laboratories. Different ways for implementing the international exchange are discussed. A comparison is made with the collaboration of the metrological laboratories over the world which could serve as a template for the implementation of the forensic structure.