ABSTRACT
Objectives, Sampling Procedures, Instrumentation, and Conditions The purpose of the experimental work was to improve systems for FDR detection and identification, with particular reference to the Northern Ireland situation. This involved looking at all aspects including suspect handling, sampling procedures, laboratory preparation, analysis techniques, interpretation, and presentation of results in a court of law. There is very little information in the literature about suspect handling, contamination avoidance, interpretation of results, and presentation of evidence in court. By taking an overview and a practical approach to all aspects of the system, it is hoped that by introducing improvements, however minor, in each area, these will have a cumulative effect, leading to a substantial overall improvement. This is a novel approach, the vast majority of the literature dealing with scientific methods of sampling, detection, and identification, which while extremely important is not the end product; the end product is the value and credibility of evidence given in court. The main areas for consideration were as follows.
