THE future of the North-East's acclaimed forensic training centre could be in jeopardy, amid suggestions it may be relocated further south.

Harperley Hall, near Crook, County Durham, trains about 1,000 students a year in forensic science and is recognised as an international centre of excellence.

But the Home Office is currently in discussion with Durham Constabulary about moving it to the Midlands or London.

The National Training Centre for Scientific Support to Crime Investigation is run by the Durham force on behalf of the Home Office, but next April it will be taken over by the Home Office's National Police Training Centre.

Last December, the Government's Inspectorate of Constabulary produced a damning report on the failure of Britain's police forces to use forensic scientists and said the service owed a "debt of professional gratitude" to the Durham police force for plugging the gaps in national training through Harperley Hall.

But the same report also recommended that the future training of scientific support staff should be governed within a national framework and a national centre of excellence, based on one or more sites, should be established.

About £5m is needed to bring the facilities at Harperley Hall up to scratch and carry out major improvements to teaching facilities, the information technology suites and practical areas.

The isolated position of the former country manor is also seen as a drawback.