Recently, the role of international cooperation in forensic science has been growing steadily. The main objective of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise is to protect the interests of the state, rights and freedoms of a citizen, rights of legal entities by conducting objective scientifically grounded forensic examinations and expert studies. To achieve this goal, ensuring a high level of quality and reducing the overall deadline for the execution of forensic examinations, KFI constantly strives to match the advanced achievements and achievements of the world forensic science.
The active work of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in the sphere of international integration of our country into the world legal space poses before KFI, as the old expert institution of Ukraine, a wide range of tasks for the establishment of international cooperation, the expansion of cooperation with specialized forensic institutions abroad.
Within the framework of the relevant work, Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise is striving to solve the main tasks, namely:
- development of scientific and methodological support of the system of expert institutions of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine at the modern scientific and technical level;
- mastering foreign experience and introducing modern achievements of the world science into Ukrainian expert practice, as well as tools and methods of work in the field of forensic examination;
- harmonization of legislation in the forensic-expert sphere;
- support for the credibility of Ukrainian forensic expertise in the international arena.
To solve the tasks, Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise conducts an active international work within the framework of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI), and also works within the framework of international relations of KFI with expert institutions of other countries.
The international cooperation of forensic institutions is important for the implementation of the rule of law, the improvement of forensic expert activity and the improvement of the quality of forensic examination, as one of the main forms of using specialized knowledge in modern legal proceedings.
One of the most important directions of the international activity of KFI is work within the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI). Participating in the work of ENFSI KFI started in May 2017, after the official acceptance of the institution to the network of the participants. Now the cooperation is consistent and effective. Constant monitoring of new developments, methods and equipping of expert laboratories with modern equipment is being conducted, which can increase the efficiency of work. All laboratories of institutions participating in ENFSI must be accredited in accordance with ISO 17025, which is a guarantee of the quality of performance of examinations. KFI is accredited to this standard and plans to expand the scope of accreditation in the future.
One of the forms of ENFSI cooperation is the holding of conferences of expert working groups with certain types of forensic examination. Now ENFSI has 17 expert working groups that hold annual meetings of specialists in different countries. Specialists of the KFI take part in international conferences and workshops, present reports on problematic issues and achievements of Ukrainian forensic expertise.
For example, during the last period a meeting of the working group on the investigation of fire and explosions ENFSI took place (Oleksandr Shmereho, the head of the department of research on life safety, fire and technical and electrical engineering research of the laboratory of engineering and technical types of research represented KFI) and the meeting of the working group on drugs (Larysa Oliinyk, scientific employee of the department of research of materials, substances and products of KFI attended this event).
The meetings of experts of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise with foreign colleagues within the framework of ENFSI allow receiving up-to-date information on new achievements in the expert field, sharing experiences and transferring the best achievements to the practice of forensic institutions of the Ministry of Ukraine.
KFI maintains business contacts with forensic institutions in Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Armenia and a number of other countries. Within the framework of bilateral agreements, meetings with colleagues at scientific and methodological events, exchange of delegations and meetings of leaders are held annually.
The work carried out at Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise to ensure the high quality of examinations, including the accreditation of laboratories under ISO 17025, allows experts to conduct studies whose findings are accepted by international courts and form the basis for the protection of Ukrainian citizens during international court hearings. Therefore during the solemn part of the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the existence of KFI, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yurii Lutsenko noted that about 100 thousand expert examinations and expert studies were carried out after the events of 2014 thanks to the work of the experts of KFI.
“Thanks to your complex explosive technical expertise, it became possible to establish the guilt of suspected terrorists. Thanks to tactical forensic expertise, even for a long time already a verdict on the Il-76 tragedy was passed in court. Thanks to complex international expertise on the MH-17 flight, we hope for the result in the Hague Tribunal for the terrorists who unleashed a war against our state. I have great respect for the director of the Institute, Oleksandr Ruvin, and for his professionalism, and his way of life. Thank you all, I mean the staff, because on your shoulders this titanic invisible work keeps. Professionalism and objectivity are the signs of the work of your institution”, said Yurii Lutsenko.
Priority areas of the forensic partnership are the introduction of international standards in the expert institutions of the countries participating in international organizations, the exchange of information resources, the development of science and expert technologies, training and retraining of qualified personnel.
To achieve these goals, KFI will continue to develop partnerships on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation with the world’s leading forensic institutions.
Currently, the work is in the following areas:
- scientific and methodological cooperation, including the issues of certification and validation of methodological support of forensic examination;
- standardization and accreditation in the field of forensic expert activity;
- improvement of the system of professional development of forensic institutions.
The partnership relations of state forensic institutions within the framework of the agreements reached by the ministries of justice makes it possible to ensure the implementation of mutually beneficial cooperation of forensic experts in these countries, contributes to a more effective solution of complex theoretical and practical problems with the use of special knowledge in establishing the truth in criminal and civil cases, the rule of law in all states.
