1. Introduction
It is undisputable that forensic trace evidence analysis has
undergone major changes since the times when analysis was
confined to broadly trained general practitioners analyzing a wide
range of traces using a light microscope. Some of these changes
parallel those that have occurred generally within the forensic
sciences, others reflect the impact of changing priorities, and
others reflect the impact of new technologies.
A complex problem has emerged that is reflected in the
diminishing use of trace evidence, reductions in funding and open
debate regarding the viability of the discipline. This paper is offered
as a critical review of the nature and causes of the problem, helping
to define and understand objectives, but stopping short of
considering possible alternative solutions. This is intentional. It
is both confounding and confusing to hold the debate about a
problem together with a debate about the solution; disagreements
about one become interwoven with disagreements about the
other. Solutions can be offered and debated based not on how they