ENFSI FIRM
Definition
Forensic Intelligence and Reporting Model; verbal LR scale from 'inconclusive' through 'limited', 'moderate', 'strong', and 'very strong' support used in European trace-evidence reporting.
- Full name
- Forensic Intelligence and Reporting Model
- Function
- A verbal likelihood-ratio scale
- Scale levels
- Inconclusive, limited, moderate, strong, very strong support
- Used for
- European trace-evidence reporting, e.g. paint comparison
Common questions
How does the FIRM scale relate to a numerical likelihood ratio?+
Each verbal category is meant to correspond to a defined range of likelihood-ratio values, so the wording used in a report reflects an underlying numerical strength of support rather than being a purely subjective label.
Why use a five-level verbal scale instead of reporting the LR number directly?+
A verbal scale is easier for a lay jury or judge to interpret in court than a raw numerical ratio, while still being anchored to the statistics, which balances communicability against precision.
Related terms
- BKA (Bundeskriminalamt)
- German Federal Criminal Police Office; custodian of EUCAP and primary German forensic laboratory for automotive paint comparison.
- BNS 2023 § 106
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 provision criminalising causing death by negligence; the primary charging provision for fatal hit-and-run cases in India, with enhanced...
- Direct Comparison
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- ENFSI EPG
- Expert Working Group on Paint (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes); produced the European paint-examination protocol and promoted EUCAP development.
- EUCAP
- European Collection of Automotive Paints, maintained at the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) in Wiesbaden; the European counterpart to PDQ for automotive hit-and-run paint comparison.
- FSR Codes of Practice
- The Forensic Science Regulator's Codes of Practice and Conduct, made statutory by the Forensic Science Regulator Act 2021, setting mandatory quality standards...
- Likelihood Ratio (LR)
- The ratio of two conditional probabilities: the probability of the observed evidence given the prosecution's hypothesis (same source), divided by the probability...
- PDQ (Paint Data Query)
- RCMP-maintained international automotive paint database. Stores binder, pigment and layer data for vehicle original-equipment finishes from major manufacturers. Used to narrow a...
- Secondary Transfer
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- Spectral Cross-Correlation
- A mathematical similarity measure comparing two FTIR spectra; PDQ uses cross-correlation scores to rank candidate matches; a score above 0.90 is treated...
- SWGMAT
- Scientific Working Group for Materials Analysis, a US forensic science standards body (now succeeded by the OSAC Explosives Subcommittee). Published the Forensic...