Meet the Scientific Police Laboratory
Central Unit of specialized technical-scientific support of the Polícia Judiciária
Scientific Police Laboratory (LPC)
It has technical and scientific autonomy, led by unbiased and standard operational procedures, previously well-established and validated. Complies with the requisites for Testing Laboratories, established in the Portuguese Standard NP EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 being accredited by the National Accreditation Body (IPAC).
Ever since the establishment of the laboratory there has been a strong commitment to international cooperation, having been one of the founding members of the European Network of Forensic Science (ENFSI).
Alexandra André
The LPC Director
Message from the Director
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DNA
The Biology and DNA Unit of the Portuguese Forensic Laboratory of Polícia Judiciária is responsible for the organization of this year's edition of the most important annual meeting of the European Forensic DNA community.
We have a dedicated team of 14 highly qualified experts, with many years of experience, and a modern and completely automated laboratory.
With a diversified scope of action, we support criminal investigation in cases of murder, criminal association, terrorism, sex assaults, trafficking of human beings and others, receiving requests from Polícia Judiciária and Judicial Authorities.
The expertise of this Unit focuses on the search, identification, and collection of biological traces, as well as DNA analysis of these traces for human identification purposes. Kinship analysis in criminal procedures is another aspect regarding the job. In addition, we contribute to the national DNA database, being responsible for 90% of the casework samples introduced.
Beside the expert activity, the Biology and DNA Unit relationship with the academic world has been strengthened in recent years due to the increased participation in direct training actions or the acceptance of master’s degrees students.
Maintaining as always, its commitment to international collaboration, either through participating in associations and specialized working groups or in participating in projects in the field of forensic science.
The Forensic Science Laboratory’s expertise falls within the fields of forensic science, where its theoretical and practical knowledge is required for the search, detection, collection, transportation and laboratory analysis of all kind of traces. To perform these tasks, beside the Biology and DNA Unit, LPC also has the following Units:
We have a dedicated team of 14 highly qualified experts, with many years of experience, and a modern and completely automated laboratory.
With a diversified scope of action, we support criminal investigation in cases of murder, criminal association, terrorism, sex assaults, trafficking of human beings and others, receiving requests from Polícia Judiciária and Judicial Authorities.
The expertise of this Unit focuses on the search, identification, and collection of biological traces, as well as DNA analysis of these traces for human identification purposes. Kinship analysis in criminal procedures is another aspect regarding the job. In addition, we contribute to the national DNA database, being responsible for 90% of the casework samples introduced.
Beside the expert activity, the Biology and DNA Unit relationship with the academic world has been strengthened in recent years due to the increased participation in direct training actions or the acceptance of master’s degrees students.
Maintaining as always, its commitment to international collaboration, either through participating in associations and specialized working groups or in participating in projects in the field of forensic science.
The Forensic Science Laboratory’s expertise falls within the fields of forensic science, where its theoretical and practical knowledge is required for the search, detection, collection, transportation and laboratory analysis of all kind of traces. To perform these tasks, beside the Biology and DNA Unit, LPC also has the following Units:
Drugs and toxicology
The Drugs and Toxicology Unit is responsible for the detection, identification and quantification of chemical substances considered toxic for living beings. Their performance is divided in two groups of action: Drugs of Abuse (and related products) and Other Toxic Substances. When necessary, this unit takes part in the identification and dismantling of clandestine laboratories or production units.
Documents
The Documents Unit aim is to find whether a document is authentic or forged and is responsible for establishing a connection between a specific material and its production.
Currency Counterfeit
The Currency Counterfeit Unit determines the authenticity or forgery of banknotes and coins through comparison with specimens. This group represents the LPC in the European Central Bank and the European Commission, in their respective Working Groups on banknotes and coins.
Currency Counterfeit
The Currency Counterfeit Unit determines the authenticity or forgery of banknotes and coins through comparison with specimens. This group represents the LPC in the European Central Bank and the European Commission, in their respective Working Groups on banknotes and coins.
Handwriting
The Handwriting Unit ascertains the authenticity or forgery of signatures and determines the authorship of handwritten texts by comparison with all known writings.
Handwriting
The Handwriting Unit ascertains the authenticity or forgery of signatures and determines the authorship of handwritten texts by comparison with all known writings.
Physics and Chemistry
The Physics and Chemistry Unit analyses about twenty different types of traces such as fibres, glass, paint, and explosives, having for this end more than a dozen different analytical techniques installed. This Unit also performs GSR, Speech, and Audio analyses.
Crime Scene
The Crime Scene Unit is responsible for applying a set of procedures and methodologies to evaluate and interpret the crime scene in order to collect all existing traces, maintaining the chain of custody of the evidence.
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The Crime Scene Unit is responsible for applying a set of procedures and methodologies to evaluate and interpret the crime scene in order to collect all existing traces, maintaining the chain of custody of the evidence.
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The Crime Scene Unit is responsible for applying a set of procedures and methodologies to evaluate and interpret the crime scene in order to collect all existing traces, maintaining the chain of custody of the evidence.
Fingerprint
The Fingerprint Unit gathers all expert activities that seek human identification through the collection and analysis of fingerprints, palm prints and others impression elements. They manage the AFIS national database and are the contact point for Prüm Decisions in terms of fingerprints.
Fingerprint
The Fingerprint Unit gathers all expert activities that seek human identification through the collection and analysis of fingerprints, palm prints and others impression elements. They manage the AFIS national database and are the contact point for Prüm Decisions in terms of fingerprints.
Ballistics
The Ballistics Unit provides all expert responses related to firearms, ammunition, and ammunition elements, as well as determines the rifle firing distance. They manage the IBIS TRAX 3D database system and are the Portuguese representatives of INTERPOL’s IBIN.
Tool Marks
The Tool Marks Unit has specific competences in the analysis of traces of footwear, tyres, gloves, and tool marks as well as in the restoration of references and serial numbers obliterated in weapons, vehicles or other metal objects.