FIRN MANAGEMENT BOARD

The Forensic Institute Research Network is managed by a Board drawn from the members of FIRN. The Board’s role is to provide strategic direction to FIRN, coordinate its numerous projects, and occassionally to act on behalf of the membership.

• Dr John P Cassella, Staffordshire University (Meetings & Conferences)
• Dr Paul Chin, Higher Education Academy (FORREST)
• Professor Mike Cole, Anglia Polytechnic University (Research/Journal)
• Dr Andrew Jackson, Staffordshire University (Research/Databases)
• Professor Allan Jamieson, The Forensic Institute (Chair)
• Mr Kevin Lawton-Barrett, Canterbury Christ Church University College (Information/Education)

• Kevin worked for a southern police force as a Crime Scene Investigator for 14 years. During his time there he also co-designed and delivered forensic training to a number of Police and Support Staff courses, including probationer training, SIO and detectives, and trained CSI’s in an in-house development programme. Latterly he became the Forensic Intelligence Manager, responsible for the analysis and development of the Forensic Intelligence system for the force, which involved a complete review of its effectiveness and value and, as part of this programme, managed the set up of a shoe mark database with an external contractor. Most recently he was a Senior CSI responsible for the investigation of murders and other major crimes. He carried out internal and external reviews of investigations involving unsolved and historic crime and the review of a police shooting for the PCA. Part of this position entailed the force’s response to CBRN terrorism where he was lead CSI for all such incidents. At Canterbury Christ Church he is a Senior Lecturer and is Programme Director for Forensic Investigation, lecturing to Police recruits and undergraduates in Crime Scene Investigation and Management, Major Crime, Forensic Strategies and Prisoner Handling. He has presented to the Forensic Science Society on the uses of the Intranet as an accurate, audited, education tool for Police Officers. Outside work his main interests are in photography, travel and expedition planning. He planned and designed an expedition to analyse the physical evidence for and against quotas for wolf hunting in Eastern Europe and was an expedition photographer in Albania.

• Dr Andrew Morrisson, Robert Gordon University (Research/Conferences)
• Dr Paula Smith, Napier University (Research/Journal)
• Dr Raul Sutton, Wolverhampton University (FIRN Networks and communication)

The Board minutes are published on this website. You are welcome to send comments and ideas to the Board. If you would like to serve for a period on the Board, then please let us know.

To become a member of FIRN you must be an academic, practitioner, or postgraduate student with a legitimate interest in forensic science research or teaching.