Summary of the Evaluation of the RCMP’s Biology Casework Analysis Services

On this page

• Context
• Methodology
• What we found
• Recommendations

Context

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) National Forensic Laboratory Services (NFLS) operates a single public laboratory system with three sites located in Surrey, Edmonton and Ottawa. NFLS provides biology casework analysis (BCA) through its Biology Services Program (BSP) that includes biological evidence recovery, DNA analysis, and reporting services in relation to a wide range of criminal code offences. These offences are organized into four categories: crime against property; crime against persons; sexual assault; and homicide.

The objective of the evaluation was to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the RCMP’s Biology Casework Analysis (BCA) in accordance with the Treasury Board Policy on Results. The need for this evaluation was stipulated in the Biology Casework Analysis Agreements signed with the 11 Provinces and Territories in 2014.

The evaluation focused on 3 questions:

1. Are BCA services achieving the expected results of the Biology Casework Analysis Agreements?
2. How effectively are BCA services meeting client needs?
3. To what extent are BCA services and the Biology Casework Analysis Agreements designed and structured to promote long-term sustainability?

Methodology

Interviews

44 interviews with 97 clients, stakeholders, RCMP staff

Document review

Including policies, reports, previous reviews and evaluations

Performance data

Data related to performance, human resources and finances

Site visits

Site visits to 3 RCMP labs to observe BCA workflow and facilities

Client survey

A survey of investigators who used BCA services

Comparative analysis

Analysis of other labs that deliver BCA services

What we found

1. The Biology Casework Analysis Agreements have provided an adequate general funding framework for the delivery of biology casework analysis services.
2. BCA services were valued by clients. However, service standards were not consistently met, and concerns were raised about the timely delivery of routine services.
3. The BSP has continually reviewed and revised its processes and systems to improve program delivery and to streamline operations. While there have been some gains in efficiency, challenges related to timeliness and service delivery persist.
4. While data systems and performance measures exist, there are insufficient performance metrics to tell the story of program capacity.
5. The BSP is at risk of not being able to ensure long-term sustainability.

Recommendations

1. Formalize a forward-looking human resources plan to ensure the Biology Services Program has a sufficient pool of trained resources to meet current and future client needs for biology casework analysis services and ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.
2. Formalize a strategy to ensure the Biology Services Program has appropriate facilities, maintenance, and evergreening of technology to meet current and future client needs for biology casework analysis services and ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.
3. Improve communication practices and protocols to better support information sharing within the Biology Services Program and with clients and stakeholders.
4. Refine performance measurement activities to accurately assess capacity to process cases and to support decision-making, reporting, accountability and transparency.