LSE Bolashak 2015 – 2016 Custom Programme students, Nazym Medeuova and Yerzhan Akhmetov from the Republic of Kazakhstan, are nearing the end of their time at LSE. Nazym, an expert economist at the Central Forensic Institute (Astana), came to London to improve her professional experience and skills.
The course deals with three key areas of the UK’s criminal justice system: the courts, the police and forensics.
In relation to the courts, we are provided with a broad overview of the civil and criminal court structure of England and Wales, the trial process and appeal procedure. Police play a major role in criminal investigations; therefore we review police activity, their functions and powers and also their structure and organisation.
Forensic science refers to the application of various fields of science and technology to establish facts about a crime and find evidence that can be used in both civil and criminal law. Unfortunately, the Forensic Science Service, a government-owned company, was shut down in 2012 and work was transferred to in-house police labs and private firms. This decision may result in forensic analyses becoming impossible within the UK, since no commercial provider can give breadth of service. This could lead to complex cases not being investigated, resulting in potentially serious miscarriages of justice.
Nazym Medeuova
By completing this Custom Programme, Yerzhan is looking to adopt some progressive ideas in his own practice. Yerzhan is a forensic expert from the Central Institute for Forensic Inquiry (Astana).
Forensics is a significant institution that exists in all countries throughout the world. Historically, this type of activity has arisen in the field of criminal procedure relations. Many countries promote international co-operation in this field, sharing experience of best practice. An example of such international co-operation is the internship scheme offered by advanced universities.
Currently, I am studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where one of my tasks is to research the structure and organisation of the forensic system in the UK. At this stage of my research, I can distinguish a few, in my opinion significant, differences in the forensic systems of both countries.
The forensic agencies of the United Kingdom vary, depending on geographical area. In England and Wales this type of activity is provided by the private sector, and forensic laboratories are privatised. The forensic system of Northern Ireland is different; their forensic examinations are carried out by the police authority. Kazakhstan’s model is different from both of these kinds of organisation. The forensic service in Kazakhstan is administered by the Ministry of Justice, i.e. the system is independent from the agencies which lead the prosecution.
Another significant difference between the systems of the UK and Kazakhstan is the different procedural status of forensic experts. In Kazakhstan, the expert has their own status in the proceedings. In England, the forensic examination is not a special kind of evidence in a criminal trial. It is considered to be the testimony of a competent person. In other words, the expert is considered to be a competent witness (an expert witness).
Forensic science in the UK is divided into many categories, some of these are very specific (forensic archaeology, forensic entomology and forensic astronomy). None of these examination types are common in Kazakhstan.
One similarity of the system in the two countries includes the expert not giving a legal assessment of the circumstances that he was studying, and only responding to questions concerning the facts of the case. Entry requirements for getting a job as a forensic scientist are also similar.
I am confident that the international co-operation between the LSE Custom Programmes and the forensic service of Kazakhstan will remain fruitful.
Yerzhan Akhmetov
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