National Institute of Forensic Science

The National Institute of Forensic Science, commonly known as NIFS, is the peak coordinating body for forensic science across Australia and New Zealand, originally established in 1991 and 1992 as a National Common Police Service under an agreement of the Australian Police Ministers' Council, beginning operations in Melbourne, Victoria in February 1992. Since 2008, NIFS has operated as a directorate within the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency, an agency hosted by Victoria Police on behalf of the police jurisdictions of Australia and New Zealand, working under a service level agreement and guided by the Australia New Zealand Forensic Executive Committee, whose members include the leaders of the region's forensic science service providers. Rather than conducting forensic casework itself, NIFS develops guidelines, standards and strategic plans for the forensic science community and administers awards recognizing excellence in the field across the two countries. Its structure reflects a deliberately cooperative, standard setting role rather than that of an operational forensic laboratory.