"Reliance do not just act as a logistics company, they provide a bespoke service tailored to meet both the needs of the FSS and the Criminal Justice System by providing a secure and traceable routing for the movement of all exhibits. The Collection and Delivery Service has become an integral part of our processes and enables us to respond flexible to the ever changing requirements of our customers”
Sarah Brownhill, FSS Collection and Delivery Contract Manager

• 70,000 items of evidence delivered per year for 7 years, with no package mislaid or damaged and 100% delivered on time every year
• Full continuity of evidence processes
• High levels of security, full location tracking, discrete unmarked vehicles

The Customer
Working with a large number of police services, the Forensic Science Service employs a stringent quality management process for all procedures at its laboratories, including the specialist fire arms laboratory in Manchester. Communicating the analysis of results within strict deadlines to investigating officers requires the prompt collection and delivery of evidence, whilst ensuring the package is not compromised.

In 1999 the FSS identified non-core activities for the business that could be outsourced; this included the transportation of evidence between police stations and the laboratories.

The Solution
Fulfilling the requirements of evidence analysis for the police service requires a reliable and effective supply chain that understands the priorities of the Criminal Justice System. Reliance was selected in 1999 to provide the secure transportation of evidence from every police station for each contracted police force, to the nominated FSS laboratory. A hub system was introduced from where evidence is distributed to the relevant laboratory.

Reliance has an unmarked vehicle covering each police area to collect packages from police stations and laboratories for delivery to the hub. Once the analysis is finished, the package is returned to the police service’s property stores. A tracking system enables Reliance to identify the location of any package in the system.

The Results
Since the beginning of the contract no package has been mislaid or damaged under Reliance’s jurisdiction. Reliance works with the FSS to establish the most cost effective and secure routes. Since 1999 Reliance has reduced cost and improved efficiency by eliminating unnecessary journeys and implementing the latest routing technology. The increase in gun crime since the start of the contract has impacted the number of firearms movements. Reliance has implemented rigorous procedures to increase the security for the FSS, the package and the drivers themselves. In some instances these require out-of-hours journeys and exacting schedules for analysis.

Providing Secure Transportation
Reliance only uses unmarked vehicles for the transport of evidence. Drivers wear a plain uniform and every vehicle has a GPS tracking system. Vigilance is required at all times to ensure that evidence is not compromised. The drivers never leave the van and only stop in nominated secure areas such as police stations, laboratories or the Reliance hub. Should drivers be involved in an incident there is a panic button in the vehicle and each driver can be in direct communication via a mobile telephone.

The Reliance Control Centre has constant contact with drivers and vehicles to monitor progress to the destination and any incidents on the route. Continual auditing undertaken by Reliance identifies the location of each package collected from the police stations. Random checks are conducted by the FSS, as well as the police, to ensure the integrity of the process.

Maintaining Confidentiality
The Reliance drivers collect the evidence for analysis in crates from the police stations. Each crate contains a number of pieces of evidence. The crate is bar coded by the scenes of crime officers to identify the contents to the police service and the FSS, but ensures that the Reliance team is unaware of the specific nature of the contents.

The bar code system is then used by the Reliance drivers to record the safe delivery of packages to laboratories and the hub. With the exception of firearms which are controlled by more stringent processes, no item of evidence can be individually identified by a Reliance team member.

People
Reliance has strict guidelines for recruitment including the submission of 10 year employment history, the validation of a clean driving licence and compliance with formal Home Office checks. A two week induction process is designed to ensure driver awareness, familiarity with the routes and the bar coding system, and an understanding of manual handling guidelines.

A focus is placed on understanding the important role that Reliance drivers play in ensuring the integrity and thus the continuity of evidence.