THE ROLE AND DUTIES OF THE SHOEPRINT TOOLMARK EXAMINER IN FORENSIC LABORATORIES/

Shoeprint and toolmark examinations have been carried out for forensic purposes for a great number of years. According to literature, the fi rst case of footwear identification dates back to the year 1786. This particular case was worked out by a local police constable. Who then, are the persons working in crime laboratories and specialising in shoe print and toolmark examinations today? Are they responsible for some o ther kind of duties, and if 'yes', what kind of duties? To find answer s to these questions, a questionnaire was prepared and sent to 78 fore nsic laboratories, 62 laboratories in 27 European countries and 16 lab oratories in six countries outside Europe. Forty-three laboratories (5 5%) in 23 countries; 35 laboratories in 19 European countries and eigh t laboratories in four countries outside Europe returned the questionn aire. The conducted study shows that the shoeprint and toolmark examin ers are performing a great variety of tasks besides shoeprint and tool mark examinations, and also that the tasks vary a lot from one laborat ory to another.