Rushton Court an impressive addition to city's high-tech sector
The £23.3m Scottish Police Services Authority forensics crime lab was officially opened on June 7. Courier reporter Stefan Morkis and photographer Kim Cessford were given an exclusive tour and discovered a development that further enhances Dundee's reputation for science and research.
Dundee is a city at the cutting edge. Its biotechnology sector produces new drugs that will be used to tackle diseases that have claimed billions of lives, while the groundbreaking games industry is transforming home entertainment.
Now, a wet room, horse blood and raw meat are the tools that have put the city at the forefront of another field entirely.
Rushton Court, the £23.3 million police forensics lab, was officially opened on June 7 and is as high-tech a facility as can be found anywhere in the city.
Forensic science and DNA analysis have become critical to police work. A quarter of a century ago, a blood spill the size of a 2p piece would be required to take a DNA sample -- now technology has become so advanced that the same information can be obtained from a near infinitesimal speck of bodily fluid.
From a DNA robot that can sift through an individual's genes to a hermetically sealed room that can be plunged into absolute darkness at the flick of a switch so lasers can be used to map the tiniest trace of a fingerprint, Rushton Court is a lab filled with so much crime-fighting kit it would make Batman jealous.
Previously, Scottish Police Services Authority forensics staff had to work in cramped conditions at Tayside Police's Bell Street headquarters -- not ideal for work that must be carried out methodically and with the precision of a Swiss watch.
It may not be as flashy as the work seen on TV programmes like CSI but it will be just as vital in solving crimes from simple break-ins to murders.
"People see our work as like CSI but it is very different than that, although a lot of it follows it closely," said SPSA director of forensic services Tom Nelson.
Expectations
"It does raise expectations that we have to manage.
"But, at the end of the day, forensic science is playing an even more crucial and critical role in investigations at both ends of the scale, from petty crimes to high-profile cases."
The new lab, at the Dundee One site at City Quay, was purpose-built, providing scientists with a series of laboratories tailored to their exact needs.
Each lab is pressurised to avoid the risk of contamination, while the five-storey building also includes a special room to carry our blood splatter experiments, which is where the aforementioned horse blood and chunks of meat come into play.
Here, scientists can mimic the effects of violent attacks to see the blood patterns it would make and then match those found in the area surrounding an attack.
The lab also includes specialist rooms for examination of larger items -- from doors to vehicles -- while environmental conditions can be controlled throughout to protect temperature-sensitive equipment.
And although cleanliness might not necessarily be next to Godliness, the lab proves it's certainly vital to 21st century police work.
The gleaming surfaces in each lab aren't just because they're new -- a sterile environment is crucial to forensic work.
Scientists taking samples or searching clothes for blood patterns must clean every work surface before they begin and once they finish because contamination of samples can destroy an investigation.
It's why they must wear a mask covering their mouths when working in labs -- they may need to talk to exchange ideas and theories but have to ensure any spit they produce while doing so doesn't interfere with the sample.
The work carried out in the lab may be painstaking, but the lab itself is now far ahead of anything else available in the country.
"This is the first lab to be built in the last 15 years so there is nothing else in Scotland like we have here," said Mr Nelson.
"We've got the complete package -- one of the big things is bringing everything together like biology, chemistry and fingerprints.
"The big advantage is that we got involved at the planning stage when the foundations were being laid -- it will allow us to be a lot more efficient."
- To view Kim Cessford's photo tour of the building, click here.
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