“Essential savings” would be made if staff at the Nelson Street facility concentrate only on complex forensic cases, with simpler, high-volume work handled by computer in a Scotland centralised unit.  Nelson Street lab employs around 47 staff.

The board reports the Press and Journal has told the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA), reviewing forensic science services across the country, that the suggestion “would best meet” the needs of the force, and on the basis that concessions are made, it would also support plans to open a smaller satellite lab in Aberdeen, supported by the larger Dundee and Glasgow facilities.

“We would support the retention of business-critical equipment within the Aberdeen laboratory, particularly in relation to undertaking urgent drug and DNA analysis. Retention of this equipment is essential, and would ensure that the chemists based in Aberdeen have the equipment necessary to support their role.”

Aberdeen Central Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald has warned the SPSA that slimming down the city’s lab, would be as bad as closing it altogether. He is urging the authority to keep the facility open – as well as the laboratories in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow – with a new, improved IT system.

The SPSA is expected to submit a final recommendation, gleaned from the results of the six-week consultation, to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill by mid-September.