The Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB; formerly the Police Scientific Development Branch) was a branch of the

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

in the United Kingdom which provided scientific research into new technology that could be used to fight crime.

History

The HOSDB's role was to support the Home Office's strategic aims through the effective application of science and technology. HOSDB would also provide technical support for the UK's police and security services. HOSDB has two sites in the UK: Sandridge,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

and Langhurst,

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

. The work of the HOSDB involved hi-tech research into countering terrorism, technology to fight crime, borders security, and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour. Their work sometimes involved attending incidents such as the explosions in London in 2005 in order to assess structural impacts, etc. There were 250 staff: 200 scientists and engineers and 50 support staff, half of whom live in and around Sandridge, making them a large local employer.

References

External links

Police Scientific Development Branch

Home Office Scientific Development Branch
{{authority control Science and technology in the United Kingdom Defunct executive agencies of the United Kingdom government Forensic government agencies Law enforcement in England and Wales Home Office (United Kingdom) Government agencies established in 1991 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom