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National Injuries Database

The National Injuries Database is part of the Physical Evidence Section and is a national resource to support serious crime investigations for the analysis of weapons and wounds. 

It is mainly victim focused and can search for cases to identify possible similarities between a victim's wound/s and specific injury patterns and/or possible weapons.  This is particularly useful for an investigation team in cases where the nature of the injuries are unknown and the weapon has not been identified.  The database currently holds over 4,000 cases of suspicious deaths, homicides and clinical cases.  It also has more than 20,000 images.

Medical, forensic, scientific and police reports combined with photographs, x-rays and videos provide information for the NID.  It is anticipated that future developments will allow the NID to be linked into the national pathology system to increase the size and breadth of the data.

Other services that are available through the NID include:

  • The Serious, Sexual Assault and Attempted Murders Database.  This is linked to the NID allowing comparisons of injuries to be made between live and dead victims. 
  • The Comparison Programme.  This can display photographs from up to four cases simultaneously on one screen.  This can be useful for the identification of a potential series.
  • To support and coordinate, with an independent image consultant, the technique of digital superimposition/image overlay used to compare weapon images with wound patterns.  This has frequently been used for potential footwear impressions on skin.
  • To facilitate and support the provision of second opinion and cold case review work.  A wealth of expertise has been generated through close working relationships with Home Office pathologists and other medical experts.