Key details
John Foster
Associate Professor in Forensic Science
John Foster was employed in Forensic Services with the Metropolitan Police for nearly 36 years, with 24 years of that time dedicated to dealing with top-tier crimes in Homicide and Unexpected Death Investigation. As an Operational Forensic Consultant, he coordinated the forensic response to Homicide and Death Investigations and served as the technical lead for Frontline Forensic Services and has been delivering Detective and Practitioner Training for over 15 years and holds an Award in Education and Training at Level 3.
Starting as an Identification Officer in 1988/89, he received dual training and qualification in Scenes of Crime and Fingerprint Expertise. Throughout his career, John has worked in Counter Terrorism, Specialist Crime, and various other Commands. In 1999/2000, he was part of the Flying Squad Team, providing a holistic approach to forensics from crime scene to court and during this time, led the forensic team for the De Beers Diamond robbery at the Millennium Dome, coordinating the forensic response.
In 2000, John joined the Homicide Forensic Command and was trained and qualified as both a Crime Scene Manager and Crime Scene Coordinator, roles in which he spent 24 years of their career. In 2005, he was part of the body recovery and identification team that went to Thailand to support the Disaster Victim Identification for the Tsunami disaster, for which he received a Commissioner’s Commendation.
John has also been involved in several high-profile cases both nationally and internationally, including reviewing the deaths of two backpackers in Thailand and reporting to the family on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, earning another commendation from the Commissioner for Norfolk Constabulary. He was requested to go to Pakistan to assist in setting up their Forensic Services Laboratory, sharing best practices, and developing and delivering a training package for their Forensic Management process.
John is an associate of the Chartered Society of Forensic Science (awaiting membership approval), a Co-Chair of the National CSI Technical Forum for Major Crime Accreditation, Training, and Competency, and a member of the Forensic Capability Network ‘Niche’ Working Group shaping the future of specialist forensic services. Additionally, he is a member of the Pathology Delivery Board, holds the Metropolitan Police Lead for Forensic Pathology, serves as the Forensic Representative on the Homicide Improvement Board, and is a member of the ENFSI Scenes of Crime Working Group Committee.