Home Secretary sees first-hand the science supporting UK police

The Home Secretary, The Rt Hon Priti Patel visited Dstl’s Head Quarters to see and hear first-hand how Dstl scientists are researching, developing and delivering innovations to protect not only the UK’s police forces, but also UK citizens.

Priti Patel was shown a range of new research currently underway, including female body armour designs, virtual training concepts, knife crime detection and corrosive substance detection to help prevent chemical attacks. The Home Secretary also heard how Dstl forensic scientists provided evidence that has helped with 152 terrorism convictions between 2016 and 2019.

Gary Aitkenhead, Dstl’s Chief Executive, said:

It has been a great opportunity to show The Home Secretary the science that’s already saving lives of both those serving in our police forces as well as UK civilians. We have gained a real insight into the many challenges the Home Office and its policing and security are facing. The exciting part is that many of the programmes we are already working on as part of Defence can help address these challenges, particularly around improving current uniforms and protection for police officers.