The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Applied Science and Practice course is designed to provide theory and practical skills for DVI Specialist Investigations.
Who is this course for?
This course is ideal for any professional involved in DVI operations. This includes:
- Forensic Pathologists, Anthropologists, Archaeologists, Odontologists and Radiographers
- Fire Scene Investigators
- DNA Scientists
- Senior Investigators
- Crime Scene Managers and Crime Scene Investigators
- Specialist Search Personnel
It is suitable for both military and civilian personnel, and no prior knowledge or experience of DVI procedures is required.
Course Modules:
- Mass fatalities management and DVI
- Antemortem investigation
- Human skeletal anatomy
- Disaster scene coordination
- Mapping the scene, specialist recording techniques
- Recognition, Identification, and recovery of burnt remains
- Completion of Interpol DVI antemortem and post-mortem forms
- DVI scene and mortuary exercises
- Specialist advice on collection of DNA samples from fragmented remains
Who are the Course Instructors?
Dr Julie Roberts
With over twenty years’ experience as a Forensic Archaeologist and Anthropologist, Dr Julie Roberts is Chief Scientific Advisor at Alecto Forensics. During her career Julie has assisted both civilian and military police officers with the location, recovery and identification of human remains from scenes of crime, war zones and mass fatality incidents on a national and international scale.
Julie is registered as an Expert Advisor in forensic archaeology and anthropology with the National Crime Agency. She is also the forensic anthropology national point of contact for UK DVI – the national capability of police services to respond to mass fatality incidents. Alongside this, Julie also represents the UK in the Interpol DVI Pathology and Anthropology Sub Working Group.
Her specialisms include the identification and interpretation of burnt and highly fragmented remains and Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), for which she received a police commendation in 2019.
Howard Way OBE
As a consultant who specialises in mass fatalities management, Howard Way delivers training courses and workshops to police and other agencies internationally.
In January 2022 he established DVI Resilience Ltd, a new company that delivers specialist training in Disaster Victim Identification/mass fatalities management, including in-person and virtual exercising.
Howard is a former Metropolitan Police Officer who was seconded to the National Disaster Victim Identification Unit (UK DVI). Within this role he coordinated the capability to respond to mass fatality incidents in the UK and overseas, as well as serving as the Course Director for UK national DVI training courses.
He has chaired both the INTERPOL Disaster Victim Identification Working Group and the London Mass Fatalities Working Group on behalf of London Resilience. As such, he has extensive operational experience of managing the response to mass fatality incidents, providing an overview of the procedures and considerations required when dealing with or planning for such events. In 2015 Howard was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen for his services to Disaster Victim Identification.