UCL showcase demystifies forensic science

?The 200 visitors to the Gower Street Quad were met by the mounted division of the City of London police and scenes-of-crime officers of the British Transport Police, as well as police motorbikes and cyclists. They were then able to try their hand at fingerprinting dusting and lifting through workshops. A criminal barrister provided the insider's view of the courtroom experience and gave a taste of his work by giving a colleague a cross-examination grilling. Natasha McEnroe from UCL Museums and Collection gave a public lecture about Sir Francis Galton, the father of fingerprinting and his collection at UCL, and I drew on my experience as a practising forensic archaeologist in my lecture on the basics of fingerprinting science. UCL was chosen to host the UK Fingerprint Society's Annual Educational Conference due to its connection with Sir Francis Galton, commonly known as the father of fingerprinting, whose collection of scientific instruments, papers, and personal memorabilia is housed at UCL Biology. He established what would become the Galton Laboratory at UCL in 1904, and his discovery that fingerprints can be used as a method of identification revolutionised policing. The university's present-day pioneering work in this field was also an attraction for the society ' it is soon to launch a Centre for the Forensic Sciences at the UCL Jill Dando Institute for Crime Science (JDI).