Expert Solutions
Footwear

The FSS provides a range of footwear services for police forces. It has launched the UK’s first online footwear coding and detection management system – Footwear Intelligence Technology (FIT) – a database that contains tread pattern and code identification gathered during the past 25 years.

The system helps boost crime detection rates by quickly identifying footwear marks left at crime scenes and linking them to other crimes and suspects on a national and regional basis.

FSS is the only supplier to provide ‘Cinderella analysis’, which can show who the regular wearer of a shoe is through information such as the angle of footfall and weight distribution.

The online system is updated daily and is the most comprehensive crime-scene related collection of footwear patterns in the UK. It contains thousands of footwear patterns including sole and upper shoe images, brand logos and examples of each type of footwear.

Footwear marks are the second most common evidence type left at crime scenes and the new technology will give police immediate information on what make and model of shoe has left the crime scene mark in question. It can also help them link crime scenes to potential suspects, searching for links at local and national level.

FSS also offers awareness training for Scene of Crime Officers, to help increase recovery rates of footwear marks from scenes.