Designing the future of forensic science: Metis and forensic intelligence

• Published in: Australian journal of forensic sciences Vol. 56; no. 5; pp. 454 - 473
• Main Author: Taylor, M. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sydney Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences 01.10.2024; Copyright Agency Limited (Distributor)
• Subjects: Crime; Crime laboratories; Design; Disruptive technologies; Forensic science; Forensic sciences; Intelligence; Métis; Vigilance; Workflow; NEW ZEALAND; AUSTRALIA
• ISSN: 0045-0618; 1834-562X
• DOI: 10.1080/00450618.2023.2218429

'Design thinking' necessitates that we challenge our core beliefs to reframe our understanding and generate innovative solutions. The noun 'design' may also connote cunning. Metis ('mnTlC') is such a form of thought and knowledge. Through wise application of prudence, vigilance and opportunism, it operates in unstable and uncertain environments. While the nature of crime is enduring, its character is transitory. If forensic science is to remain a valuable force-multiplier, it must co-adapt with a policing model that is orienting towards proactivity and disruption. 'Forensic intelligence (FORINT) is intelligence derived from technical and forensic information and expertise', and is the epitome of forensic science agility and a manifestation of metis in design. It is transdisciplinary, operating in different phases of the (pre-)investigative workflow, across the tactical-operational-strategic continuum. FORINT may emerge readily from a consultative/integrative forensic organization. Alternatively, its establishment may be a 'Trojan Horse' (consider Odysseus, master of metis): in design parlance this refers to an artefact that also is a vehicle for strategic change. Countering polymorphic transnational serious and organized crime requires us to be more multiple, more polyvalent, without compromise of ethics or integrity - leveraging metis in designing the future of forensic science through FORINT.