Leading scientific and crime experts to gather in Edinburgh in October

The role which soil plays in solving global crime will be discussed by international forensic experts in Edinburgh later this month. The Soil Forensics International Conference, organised by The Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, will bring together over 120 key individuals from across the globe in the fields of science, policing, forensic services and private industries to discuss the benefits arising from the latest, groundbreaking forensic soil-science research. Examples of where soil evidence has been used in real criminal trials including prominent cases such as the Soham and Sarah Payne murders, will also be presented by the experts who worked on these cases.

The conference will be opened by Tom Nelson, Director of Forensic Services for the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA).

The three day meeting which takes place between 30 October and 1 November at The Edinburgh Conference Centre, will focus on the role of the relatively new field of soil forensics in high priority areas as diverse as environmental health and international terrorism. Recent developments in soil science have led to its application in many high-profile criminal cases such as the Soham murders, and soil forensics are being increasingly used in environmental cases such as tracing exactly where our food and water have come from.

Dr Lorna Dawson, Head of Soil Forensic Research at the Macaulay Institute said: “In recent years, the disciplines of soil forensics have proved to be invaluable tools for the criminal and environmental investigator. It has been possible to provide compelling evidence in linking offenders with crime scenes, in finding the graves of murder victims, and tracing sources of environmental pollution or food contamination.

“This conference brings together those responsible for these ground breaking scientific developments with those at the forefront of solving criminal and environmental cases.”

Talks at the three day conference will cover:

• The analysis of soil, rock and pollen evidence and its use in the Soham murder trial
• Using soil recovered from shoes to place a suspect at a scene of crime
• Detecting buried corpses using ground based radar
• ‘Fingerprinting’ pollution incidents in soil and water to trace their sources
• Applying soil evidence in the investigation of insurance fraud, theft and ‘treasure trove’ cases

Keynote speakers at the event include Ms Patricia Wiltshire, who has worked on a number of high profile cases, including the Sarah Payne and Soham murders, Ms Jo Ashworth, Head of Physical Evidence, National Policing Improvement Agency, Dr Rob Fitzpatrick, Director, Centre of Australian Forensic Soil Science, and Mark Harrison MBE, National Search Adviser for the UK Police.

A novel addition to the conference is a ‘Murder Mystery and Microscopes’ evening at Our Dynamic Earth, where leading crime writers including Ian Rankin will dine with delegates and speakers to gain insights from some of the world’s most renowned forensic experts and police professionals.

There will also be a public lecture on the final day of the conference by Scot and Head of Australian Police’s forensic services, Professor James Robertson.

Places at the conference are still available. More can be found at