Academic Journal
Representations and perception of forensic intelligence among Belgian forensic practitioners.
| Τίτλος: | Representations and perception of forensic intelligence among Belgian forensic practitioners. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Ballèvre N; Ecole des sciences criminelles, University of Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland. Electronic address: Nathan.ballevre@unil.ch., Ribaux O; Ecole des sciences criminelles, University of Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland., Renard B; National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, Chaussée de Vilvorde 100, Bruxelles 1120, Belgium. |
| Πηγή: | Forensic science international [Forensic Sci Int] 2026 Oct; Vol. 387, pp. 113051. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 21. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Science Ireland Country of Publication: Ireland NLM ID: 7902034 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1872-6283 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03790738 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Forensic Sci Int Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Limerick : Elsevier Science Ireland Original Publication: Lausanne, Elsevier Sequoia. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Forensic Sciences*, Humans ; Belgium ; Interviews as Topic ; Trust ; Male ; Female |
| Περίληψη: | Forensic intelligence (ForInt) has gained formal recognition within the scientific community, yet the operational requirements for its implementation remain understudied. Although shared experiences and theoretical contributions have established a foundational framework, empirical research on the role of forensic scientists in ForInt is still lacking. To address this gap, we conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with forensic practitioners from Belgium's main government forensic provider to explore their representations and perceptions of ForInt and its potential implementation. A directed content analysis followed by a thematic analysis revealed several key themes that shape practitioner's view. First, this study underscores the varied conceptions of ForInt across practitioners. Second, it emphasises that trust in a ForInt system depends on maintaining control over forensic data interpretation. Third, it shows a dedicated mechanism is needed to ensure that disseminated ForInt is effectively used and recognised as such, as the current case-focused approach within the justice system limits the use of ForInt products. Successful implementation therefore requires institutional trust, a robust operational framework, and confidence in stakeholders' ability to grasp the scope and significance of forensic interpretations. Ultimately, the main challenge lies in reconciling a proactive intelligence-led policing model with existing justice-based operational frameworks of the laboratory. These findings suggest that successful ForInt implementation requires at least significant organisational and cultural adaptations to achieve both acceptance and operational effectiveness. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Forensic intelligence; Forensic science; Implementation conditions; Perception; Representation |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260623 Date Completed: 20260807 Latest Revision: 20260807 |
| Update Code: | 20260808 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.forsciint.2026.113051 |
| PMID: | 42335721 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1872-6283 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.forsciint.2026.113051 |