Forensic Laboratories

Effective crime control is impossible without the use of modern achievements in various fields of science and technology. Scientific knowledge in the fields of physics, chemistry, material science, and other sciences takes on special importance. One of the ways of using this knowledge in criminal and civil proceedings is to carry out expert examinations. Among the various types of examinations, one of the most common is the forensic document examination (FDE).

Nowadays, methods of document and banknote forgery are becoming more sophisticated due to increased access to professional printing equipment and information about security features. The adverse consequences of such crimes are also getting larger in scale and can cause significant injury. The high importance of document management in social and political life makes it all the more crucial to introduce new means of securing various documents and developing methods for fraud detection.

Often, laboratories are not equipped with tools for examining spectral characteristics of dyes, 3D modulation of relief, and hyperspectral analysis, as well as work with different types of light sources, illumination angles, etc.

• Hyperspectral analysis. This procedure is used to identify additions and to establish the original content of altered records.
• Different  light sources at varied illumination angles are used to perform various tasks while examining documents, such as discovering the method of printing and its authenticity, detecting alterations to the content of the document, discovering the content of indented, etched, erased, faded, and other invisible (or barely visible) records, etc.

• 3D modulation of the relief. Relief strokes (signatures, handwritten notes, etc.) are examined in order to discover the sequence of their printing in the document.
• Spectral characteristics of dyes. This type of analysis is commonly performed in order to find out, for example, the origin of forged documents or banknotes.

No expert in the world has a complete knowledge of all the existing documents and banknotes, all the security features used in them, and their location in the document. To accurately verify the authenticity of a document, you need to compare it with a reference sample, which may be missing.

An integral step in any expert analysis to establish the authenticity of a document or a banknote is comparing the questioned object with an authentic sample. Providing each forensic laboratory with a full collection of samples of all document types is a challenging task. Therefore, Regula Information Reference System (IRS) is an essential part for verifying the authenticity of any types of documents and banknotes. 

• It can be installed at an unlimited number of workplaces.

• It contains information and images of all security features contained in a document.

• It can be regularly updated and it features a user-friendly interface.
• Unlike a full physical collection, it does not require a large area with a safe and burglar alarms for storage.

To perform studies effectively, it is not enough only to purchase and install a complex multifunctional device in the laboratory. The experts must learn how to operate it. 

Regula has developed training courses for forensic experts, both on the operation of our devices, and in general on the security features in documents and banknotes. This allows our clients to use new solutions as efficiently as possible and expand their knowledge of forensic authentication of documents and banknotes.