A SPENNYMOOR factory is gearing up to go into production - turning out a new breed of scenes-of-crime specialists for police forces across the country.

Up to 250 specialists from all over the UK will pass through the unit over the next 12 months, training in particular to tackle the forensic investigation of house burglaries and car crime.

Scene examination and vehicle examination bays will be set up on the factory floor while offices will be transformed into classrooms. Twenty five students will pass through the centre every three weeks as they learn the skills required to recover DNA samples, fingerprints and other forensic evidence.

The teaching project is being developed by experts from the Durham Constabulary-run National Training Centre for Scientific Support to Crime Investigation, based at Harperley Hall, near Crook, which has been given a £500,000 grant to cover the costs.

Director Peter Ablett said: "Given all the demands for training we did not have the capacity at Harperley Hall to deliver what the Government required within the timescales they announced.

"For that reason we launched a search for a suitable alternative venue.

"Put simply, more offenders will be identified if more crime scenes are examined. The object of this scheme is to provide this new workforce with the knowledge and skills to do that work.

"This is really getting to the heart of crimes which are of particular concern to the public."

The need to recruit more crime scene examiners was identified by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in a national report published last summer. This criticised police forces for their collective failing in not making the most of forensic specialists in crime investigation.

Mr Ablett added: "There is every likelihood volume scenes of crime examiners will become a permanent feature of policing in England and Wales and we will be looking to develop training which will allow this new breed of specialists to ultimately become capable of examining the full range of crime scenes."