ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011

1. Organisation
1.1

Chairperson and name of institute

Monika Hilgert
Bundeskriminalamt Wiesbaden, Germany

[email protected]

1.2

Composition of the Steering Committee (incl. name of institutes):

- Axel Glaeser, Vice Chair/Webmaster, Swiss Federal Office of
Police, Switzerland, [email protected]

- Joanne Fish, Identification Subgroup Chairperson, Serious and

Organised Crime Agency, United Kingdom,
[email protected]

- Miroslav Berka, Detection Subgroup Chairperson, Institute of

Criminalistics, Czech Republik, [email protected]

- Didier Meuwly, Treasurer/QCC, Netherlands Forensic Institute,

Netherlands, [email protected]

- Lena Hallberg, Swedish National Laboratory of Forensic

Science, Sweden, [email protected]

- Kaja Dalen Krogsaeter, Ordinary Member, National Criminal

Investigation Service, Norway, [email protected]

- Aldo Mattei, Ragruppamento Carabinieri Investigazioni

Scientifiche, Italy, , [email protected]

1.3

1.4

Working Group subgroups

- Detection Subgroup
- Identification Subgroup

Composition of the Working Group

number of members: 71
number of associated members: 24
name of institutes represented by the associated members: s. attached list

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011
1.5

Annual Meeting 2010

place: De Lindenhof, Delft, Netherlands, hosted by the Netherlands Forensic
Institute
dates: 22.- 24.09.2010
number of attendees: 79

number of ENFSI member laboratories represented: 35

number of other institutes represented: 8
meeting highlights (s. attached program):
- Quality Session with presentation and discussion concerning the
landscape regarding accreditation in the fingerprint field
- R&D Session with general and specific topics about fingerprint
detection methods and the AFIS process
- Presentations from invited speakers concerning successful failure,
interdisciplinary forensic investigation and Bayesian networks
- Workshops (s. no. 4 E&T)

1.6

Changes to the Terms of Reference:

none

1.7

Funded Projects by ENFSI:

none

1.8

Funded Projects by third parties e.g. EU

1.9

Networking/Collaborations with other organisations

- IAI: Invitation of a small delegation to next Annual meeting to participate to a

discussion with the Steering committee (preferably just before the meeting
starts) to determine what are the possible common interests between the 2
organizations, for example:
- Quality assessment/improvement (standards for accreditation, good
practice for detection and identification)
- Competence assessment/improvement (standards for certification,
education and training)
- Methodology (guidelines, standards for identification)
- R&D (detection and identification)

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011

2. Quality Assurance
2.1

QCLG member (incl. institute):

- Didier Meuwly, Netherlands Forensic Institute, NL

2.2 Best Practice Manuals

2.2.1 Available Manuals
Conceptual revision of last draft version
2.2.2 Report on activities in 2010:
Establishment of an official project group for the revision and new conception
of the Good Practice Manual consisting of 4 persons (Paul Chamberlain(UK),
Kaja Krogsaeter (NO), Katrina Lever (UK), Anko Lubach (NL))
2.2.3 Plans for 2011

Deadline to achieve

Responsible
person for action
Project Group

Review manual to date

November 2010

New chapter conception

December 2010

Paul
Chamberlain

Chapters written

July 2011

Review of new draft

August 2011

Project Group
and different
volunteers
Working Group
members

2.3 Collaborative Exercises

2.3.1 Collaborative Exercises organised in 2010
Aim of exercises:
- Detection Subgroup:
- collaborative exercise was distributed at Annual Meeting
2010
- 32 participants
- search for fingerprints on a kind of special paper
- dead line to send results to Cor Smakman, KLPD/DNIS
Zoetermeer/NL, 1st of November 2010
- evaluation expected 2011
- Identification Subgroup:
- first CE (EICE-2010) for the ID Subgroup was carried out
not designed as a proficiency test but a CE due to the fact
that different working group members are applying
different national identification standards (e.g. nonnumerical versus numerical standard)
- CE took place between January and June 2010
- organised by the Federal Office of Police in Switzerland,
supported by the University of Lausanne (CH)
- 29 institutes from 21 countries participated with an
impressive return rate of 100 %

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011

Five ten-print cards of suspects and 15 marks were sent out to the
participants including the request to process the material according to the
local SOPs. Independent of the number of latent print examiners which
worked on this task, only one consolidated answer per organisation was sent
back and assessed. For each mark, this answer included the following
information:
Degree of complexity.
Is there sufficient information for a comparison?
If applicable, result of the comparison based on the local standard:
identification, exclusion or inconclusive.
In case of an identification, information of person and finger/area of
palm.

2.3.2 Summary of the results from the Collaborative Exercises in 2010 and
consequent actions
The analysis of the EICE-2010 showed the following results:
1. Some participants (6 out of 29) returned answers with partly
contradictive information. Discussions showed that the definitions and
questions left some unexpected room for interpretation. This will be
improved in an upcoming exercise.
2. There were no false identifications made. Even though, the exercise
was not designed to force this kind of error.
3. 8 participants returned the correct results for all 15 marks.
4. 7 participants had at least one false exclusion. Overall, 14 marks were
excluded incorrectly. One participant excluded 4 marks incorrectly.
5. 18 participants had at least one missed identification. Overall, the
identification of 51 marks was missed. Three participants missed 5
identifications each.
These results were presented and discussed during the identification
workshop of the Fingerprint Working Groups annual meeting. We concluded
that there is a high demand for additional training and harmonisation in the
field of fingerprint identification on national as well as on international level.
Moreover, some valuable inputs were given to improve and strengthen the
organisational part of the exercise.

2.3.3 Plans for 2011

- Evaluation of CE of Detection
Subgroup
- Start to prepare the next CE for 2012
assuming that the ongoing efforts to
improve the quality in fingerprint
identification will show fruitful results

Deadline to
achieve
June 2011

Responsible
person for action
Cor Smakman

End of 2011

Chairperson ID
Subgroup and
WG members

2.4 Proficiency Tests

2.4.1 Report on activities in 2010
Aim of test:

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011
2.4.2 Summary of the results from the Proficiency tests in 2010 and consequent
actions
2.4.3 Plans for 2011

2.5

Deadline
to achieve

Responsible
person for action

Other Quality Assurance activities

2.5.1 Report on activities in 2010

A QCC session was organized during the annual meeting. After several years
of vacancy there is a new QCC correspondent within the group. The activities
of the QCC-QCLG committee have been presented to the group again. Then
the session focused on the development of the interactions between the
ENFSI-EFPWG and the ENFSI-QCC in order to improve the quality of the
work in general (activities related to the best practice
manual) and to the accreditation in particular. The importance of the last topic
rises within the group due to the Swedish and Spanish Initiative and the
deadline of 2015 for all forensic fingerprint providers to be accredited. A
discussion with the participant has been organized in order to raise the
awareness abut the topic of accreditation. It showed the interest and the
knowledge existing in the group about this topic.
2.5.2 Plans for 2011
The next step will be to create momentum
within the group in order for the accredited
lab to offer support to the non-accredited
labs.

Deadline
to achieve
July 2011

Responsible
person for action
Didier Meuwly

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011

3. Communication
3.1 ENFSI Website
3.1.1 ENFSI Website editor (incl. institute):
- Axel Glaeser, Swiss Federal Office of Police

3.1.2 Report on activities in 2010

- Website update
- Attempts to solve problems with ENFSI web master
3.1.3 Plans for 2011
- Solve problems with website
- Initiate installation of visitor counter
- Upload presentations from annual
meetings

Deadline to
achieve
April 2011
January 2011
September
2011

Responsible
person for action
Axel Glaeser

3.2 WG Newsletter
3.2.1 Editor (incl. institute):
- Monika Hilgert, Bundeskriminalamt Wiesbaden,
Germany

new since 2010

3.2.2 Report on activities in 2010

- Two issues of Newsletter circulated to membership with information
concerning WG organisation, Annual Meeting and news (s. attachments)
3.2.3 Plans for 2011
- Edition of at least two newsletters
3.3 Other communications issues

Deadline to
achieve
August 2011

Responsible
person for action
Monika Hilgert

3.1.2 Report on activities in 2010

- Circulation of requests from WG members concerning case work,
accreditation etc. via email
- Distribution of interesting news from different organisations
3.1.3 Plans for 2011
- Proceed with exchange of information
concerning actual casework
- Distribute news from magazines,
conferences etc. via email

Deadline
to achieve

Responsible
person for action
Chairperson
all members via
Chairperson or
Secretary

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011

4. Education and Training

4.1 Guidelines
4.1.1 Available Guidelines

- General guidelines contained within draft GPM

4.1.2 Report on activities in 2010
4.1.3 Plans for 2011

Deadline
to achieve

Responsible
person for action

4.2 Workshops and training

4.2.1 Report on activities in 2010
- Full day Detection Workshop on fluorescence techniques at Annual Meeting
with 37 participants from 30 different institutes (25 ENFSI member institutes)
took place at the NFI.
During the morning session news concerning documentation of fingerprints,
use of forensic light sources and search for bloody fingerprints were
presented by both members and guest speakers.
The afternoon session organised in the Field Lab of the NFI was focused on
practical work on trace evidence.
Main topic was the self fluorescence of fingerprints, eye adaption to darkness
while working with fluorescence, differences between various forensic light
sources and the use of fluorescence methods to detect fingerprints on tape
and in blood.

- The full day identification workshop was attended by 32 participants.

As in previous years, participants were sent 3 comparison exercises as
homework, which they were expected to complete prior to attending the
annual meeting.
The identification workshop consisted of a mixture of presentations and
practical exercises utilising the homework.
The facilities available at the NFI offered an unprecedented opportunity to
give individual practitioners hands-on access to new and innovative
computer-based applications.
Christophe Champod from the University of Lausanne presented the PiAnOS
(Picture Annotation) system. He delivered training which was then applied to

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011
the homework comparison exercises during a hands-on practical session.
There was a joint presentation from representatives of the KLPD and the NFI
on the WOVI probabilistic tool. Individuals gained hands-on experience by
inputting dactyloscopic features and running the application to generate the
likelihood ratios.
The homework comparison exercises were discussed within smaller groups
and the conclusions presented, mirroring the ITP (Investigating Team of
Practitioners) process of the FFAC (Fingerprint Forensic Advisory
Committee).
The results and feedback from the identification subgroup collaborative
exercise were presented.
Updates and discussions took place on the SWGFAST meeting and
the FFAC project, for which papers had been previously circulated.
In response to feedback from previous years, time was allocated for
discussion around each element of the workshop.

4.2.2 Plans for 2011

- Detection Workshop during Annual
Meeting 2011, potential topic Vacuummetal-deposition
- Identification Workshop during Annual
Meeting 2011, topic to be defined

Deadline to
achieve
September
2011

Responsible
person for action
Miroslav Berka

September
2011

Joanne Fish

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011

5. Research & Development

5.1

5.2

R&D contact person:

- Irena Bialek, Institute of Forensic Research, Krakow/PL
- Aldo Mattei, Raggruppamento Carabinieri Investigazioni
Scientifiche, Messina/I

(Joint) Projects in 2010 (including MP2009 projects):

FFAC (Fingerprint Forensic Advisory Committee)
After the first meeting had been cancelled due to the ash cloud about Europe
in May a second one took place in September 2010. The meeting was
centred on dealing with feedback from the 2009 annual meeting with regard to
the concept and the procedures.
The Draft Proposal and the Working Procedure were rewritten and a process
flowchart created. These documents were circulated for consultation prior to
the 2010 annual meeting and some preliminary discussion took place during
the identification workshop (s. two attachments).

5.3

Plans for 2011(including MP2009/2010

projects):
- Update of R&D database
- Define research projects also under the
Monopoly Frame

Deadline
to achieve
May 2011
March
2011

Responsible
person for action
Irena Bialek
Aldo Mattei

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ENFSI European Fingerprint Working Group

Reporting cycle: Activities in 2010 Plans for 2011

6. Joint Databases and Exchange of Information

6.1

Available Databases
none

6.2

Report on activities in 2010

- update from IAI 2010 by Marcel de Puit (NFI, NL) at the Annual Meeting
- update from Interpol Fingerprint Symposium by Marcel de Puit (NFI,NL) at
the Annual Meeting

6.3

Plans for 2011

- participation in conference initiated by
ENFSI-CSWG

Deadline
to achieve
First halfyear 2011

Responsible
person for action
Chairperson or
other member
SC
Chairperson and
other WGmembers

- participation at the IFRG (International

Fingerprint Research Group) conference in
Sweden

June 2011

- participation to the IAI conference in USA

with presentation of the activities of the WG

July 2011

open

- Crossing Borders conference at NFI/NL on July 2011

international collaboration in the forensic field

open

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