Almost 200 West Midlands Police cases caught in tamper row
Forensic tests for almost 200 cases dealt with by West Midlands Police are being reviewed after they were affected by alleged ‘data manipulation’ at a testing facility.
Nationally, it is believed 6,000 cases could have been undermined by the issue – and today, the Express & Star can reveal police in the West Midlands believe 189 of its cases have been affected.
The testing was carried out by Randox Testing Services, a laboratory firm used by police force to analyse samples used in prosecutions such as drug driving, rape and murder.
Two dismissed employees have been arrested by Greater Manchester Police over claims criminal cases have been undermined.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “West Midlands Police has 189 cases which have been affected by data manipulation at Randox Testing Services after they were used as a sub-contractor by our own supplier.
“We now have an arrangement with Crown Prosecution Service where we can check any cases appearing before our courts to supply reassurances over the origin of any evidence to check if any further cases come to light.
“Retesting has been prioritised, with cases at pre-trial and with offenders serving sentences to be assessed first. More historic cases are being researched to link them to police records and court proceedings to ensure reviews of the available evidence.
"This is being fed into a national lead who is coordinating the reviews of available material to see if re-testing is possible and prioritising the transfer and re-testing.”
The two employees at Randox, a 47-year-old and a 31-year-old, were arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and released on bail until July 18 and 25, pending further inquiries.
DCC James Vaughan, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for the forensic marketplace, said: “The integrity of forensic science in criminal justice is crucial in the investigation and prosecution of crime and keeping people safe.
“This is a serious breach of the very rigorous professional standards set by the Forensic Science Regulator for staff and organisations working in this critical field.
"We now have a clearer picture of the scale of this data manipulation and have been able to set out a plan of action in partnership with RTS, the Forensic Science Regulator, and the CPS. The numbers affected could change as our investigations progress.”
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Our investigation concerns the manipulation of quality control data around sample analysis.
“We do not have any information or evidence to suggest that samples themselves have been directly tampered with.”
In May, Randox Testing Services said it uncovered evidence of data manipulation in January after acting on information from a whistleblower. A spokesman said the company is not ‘satisfied’ the results of more than 6,000 toxicology samples are sufficiently reliable.
Head of toxicology, Dr Mark Piper, said: “We regret the concerns that these developments will inevitably cause. We are taking all possible responsible actions to allay them.”