£16m forensic superlab to be built in Dundee

A NEW multi-million-pound forensic superlab is to be built in Dundee, it was announced yesterday, two years after The Scotsman revealed police investigations were being hampered by outdated facilities.

The Scottish Police Services Authority said the £16.2 million facility will be built at City Quay, replacing the lab at Tayside Police headquarters.

Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice secretary, said it would help transform the provision of forensic services across Scotland. Two years ago, staff told The Scotsman that a chronic shortage of cutting-edge equipment meant police were having to wait weeks longer than necessary before DNA could be extracted from weapons, bloodstains and other evidence.