Netherlands Forensic Institute

The NFI (Netherlands Forensic Institute), formerly known as Gerechtelijk Laboratorium has a long tradition in the Netherlands as the main institute that provides forensic services to the criminal justice chain.

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) is an agency of, and is funded by, the Netherlands Ministry of Security and Justice. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Directorate-General Administration of Justice and Law Enforcement.

 

 

Products and Services

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) provides products and services to a wide range of national and international clients. Using its expertise in over thirty forensic disciplines, the NFI not only performs analyses in actual and potential criminal cases, but also provides assistance and advice to governments, government agencies (e.g., law enforcement, customs, inspectorates, foreign justice authorities, and special investigative services) and forensic laboratories or institutes.

 

Forensic Products

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) provides various forensic products that cover a wide range of the NFI's expertise.

• Bonaparte
  Bonaparte is an advanced software tool for DNA matching. It reduces the time required to fully identify victims of a large-scale disaster or calamity.
   
• Faraday Cage
  The NFI has developed a new, more effective version of a 'Faraday cage', enabling police and other authorities to read out data from a mobile phone without running the risk of the data being changed or wiped by a criminal remotely.
   
• Memory Toolkit
  The NFI Memory Toolkit II is a universal forensic solution that enables investigators to read memory chips and potentially extract user data from devices such as mobile phones, satellite navigation devices or USB flash drives.
   
• XIRAF
  XIRAF is an advanced software application that can automatically analyse large quantities of data from all types of equipment at high speed and render them directly searchable.

 

Forensic Services

The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) provides advice, assistance and expertise in a wide range of areas.

• CBRN
  The NFI provides governments with expertise to help them prepare for, and prevent terrorism-related incidents with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents, possibly in combination with explosives.
   
• Forensics in Nuclear Security
  The NFI has taken the lead in coordinating an integrated international forensic response to nuclear terrorism.
   
• Kecida
  Kecida provides advanced data analysis services to clients within the public order and security sector who wish to extract essential information from large quantities of digital data.
   
• Wildlife Forensics
  The NFI offers wildlife forensic services to governments and government agencies in order to combat illegal trading in endangered, protected or dangerous species of flora and fauna.

 

Consultancy Services

Forensic institutions worldwide are confronted with a number of challenges – in process management, in quality assurance, in governance and accommodation, as well as in the interaction with partners in the enforcement, legal and medical worlds. Over the past decade or more, the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) has successfully met and implemented solutions to a number of these issues. On the basis of this practical, ‘hands on’ experience, NFI staff are available to provide advice and assistance to authorities planning to set up or improve a forensic organisation. Specifically, we can help with:

• Ensuring efficient operational processes
• Preparing for Quality Assurance certification
• Providing appropriate management training
• Designing an efficient and practical working environment
• Generating forensic awareness

 

Training, Workshops and Courses

In the context of global law enforcement and the detection and prosecution of crime, the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) sees it as one of its key tasks to help locate, collate and disseminate the latest forensic knowledge and expertise to appropriate institutions and authorities in its network worldwide.

To this end, the NFI offers a wide range of courses, workshops and training programmes, and it organises and hosts conferences, symposia and roundtable discussions on current issues and matters of concern. It also enters into partnerships with others to develop tailor-made modules or complete curriculums, as required.