Months-long forensics delay in crime cases due to MH17

The backlog at the Netherlands Forensic Institute caused by the extra work for the MH17 investigation will take months to eliminate. At this time there are 250 investigations that are delayed at the institute.

The department that carries out DNA testing at the NFI gets ore than 40 thousand investigation requests every year, Eef Herregodts of the NFI said to BNR. Since last year that department has been heavily overworked. "Among other things indeed because of MH17 and a number of very significant cases", he said. "In order to perform the MH17 investigation well, we have indeed outsourced part of the regular DNA tests, but unfortunately we can not prevent hat delays occurred in those approximately 250 cases."

He stressed that the delay is not caused by a structural problem. "This is obviously such an extraordinary situation with MH17, it is really an exception. We do not believe that this will happen more often."

Herrgodts admitted that percentage wise, 250 out of more than 40 thousand cases is not much. "But it is of course linked to crime investigations, and that is always accompanied by personal suffering." he said, adding that they are working very hard to eliminate the delays as quickly as possible. But that will take "several months".