The lab performs analyses of police exhibits in the field of:
· Forensic chemistry for cases of:
o trafficking, possession, and use of controlled substances and precursors (drugs, anabolic substances, new psychoactive substances, etc.)
o detection of cannabinoids in food and cosmetics
o use and possession of explosives and precursors
o arson, malicious damage, tear gases
o criminal incidents and suicides in relation to shooting
· Forensic toxicology for cases of:
o investigating unnatural deaths for detection of controlled drugs, alcohol, drugs, poisons etc.
o driving under the influence of alcohol
o driving under the influence of controlled drugs (narcotest) and other drugs
o poisoning of humans and animals
o traffic accidents for detection of controlled drugs, alcohol and drugs
· Analysis of samples from other services than Police:
o Customs Department: for the detection of controlled substances (drugs and precursors, explosives and precursors, anabolic substances etc.)
o Department of Emergency and Intensive Care: for toxicological analysis for detection of drugs, alcohol, and other poisonous substances and for quantitative analysis of some medicinal drugs
o Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and the environment for Quantification of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in industrial hemp
o Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and the Environment (Hunting Service) for the analysis of biological samples from protected wild birds when in the case of suspicion for poisoning
o Private Sector: Detoxification treatment units for the Toxicological analysis and private hospitals
Laws:
o The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law (N.29/1977) and Regulations and relevant amendments.
o The Road Safety Law (N.174/1986) and relevant amendments.
o The Explosives Law (N.21/1970) and Regulations, and relevant amendments.
o Law providing for the acquisition, possession, transport and import of firearms and non-firearms and related matters (Ν.113 (I)/2004)
o Penal Code, Ch.154 article 315-320 Malicious Damage to Property
o The International Convention against Doping (UNESCO) in Sport Law (Ν.I (III) /2020).
o The Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Law Ν.86/72
o The Industrial Cannabis Production and Marketing Law in (Ν. 61 (Ι)/2016)
o The Law on Protection and Welfare of Animals of 1994 - Law 46 (I) / 1994
o The Law on Trafficking in the Market for the Use of Explosive Precursors (Ν26 (I)/2017)
Research
Applied research plays an important role for the continuous scientific and technical development of the laboratory and is important for identifying emerging problems and also for validation studies in order to expand the analytical scope.
Research Programs carried out with the financial support of the Ministry of Health:
· Cannabis use during pregnancy – Covered the hole island of Cyprus (2007-2011)
· Gunpowder stability testing (2012)
· Determination of new synthetic drugs (2014)
· Gunshot residue prevalence study (2017)
· Development of in-house methods
In addition, the long-term results of the Laboratory are statistically analyzed in order to draw safe conclusions and help policy-makers to take right decisions about the safety of the Cypriot citizens.
National and International Cooperation
· Cooperation with the following ministries, national authorities and services:
o Cyprus National Addiction Authority
o Pharmaceutical Services – Ministry of Health
o Import / Export Licensing Branch - Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry
o Department of Labor inspection - Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance
o Thera Service - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Environment
o Medical Examiners Services - Ministry of Health
o Legal service
· Participation in national committees:
o Technical Committee for the implementation of the law on the marketing and use of precursors of explosives
o Advisory Committee on issues related to the regulation of medical cannabis
o National Committee for the destruction of controlled substances
o Advisory Committee (adhoc) on issues related to inclusion of new psychotropic substances on the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law (N.29/1977)
· International Cooperation:
o The European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) and its relevant Working Groups (WG):
ü Drug WG
ü Fire WG
ü Gun Shot Residue WG
ü Explosive WG
o The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT)
o United Nations Assembly on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
o European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)
o Customs Laboratories European Network (CLEN)
The Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology lab has been accredited since 2003 according to the International Quality Standard CYS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005, in order to ensure the reliability of the results of the analyzes on a continuous basis.
The scope of accreditation of the Laboratory according to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 can be found on the web page CYS-CYSAB (Accredited Bodies, Laboratories of the State General Laboratory of Cyprus).