Home Office cutbacks mean forensic service will slash 800 jobs

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The redundancies, which will be implemented over the next 12 to 18 months, are part of what ministers describe as a "major transformation" of the service designed to help it compete with its private sector rivals.

Officials at the FSS, which employs nearly a quarter of its 2,000-strong workforce at a laboratory in Lambeth, insist that the figure of 800 job losses is the maximum that will be needed.

They also pledge that cuts will be subject to consultation with unions and emphasise that fewer posts will be lost if the organisation wins a number of key contracts for work which will be awarded over the coming months.

The union Prospect, however, said it was "shocked" at the scale of the potential cuts and expressed fears that they were part of "softening up" drive to prepare the FSS for a sell-off.

General secretary Paul Noon said: "We will be scrutinising where these job losses fall to ensure this is not just an exercise to reduce the headcount, leaving FSS denuded of the skills it needs."

The FSS analyses evidence from crime scenes on behalf of police forces in England and Wales, dealing with more than 120,000 cases each year, but has faced increasing competition from private sector forensic companies in recent years.

Contracts for around two-thirds of the country's forensic work are due to be renewed over the next two years which could, if awarded to rival firms, significantly reduce the amount of work the FSS carries out.

A Home Office spokeswoman said change was needed to allow the organisation to cope with the competition.

"The forensics market is changing with increased competition, reduced business volumes and a higher cost base," she said.

"It is right that the FSS should put itself in a sustainable position for the future."