LANCASHIRE Police will have to pay its share of a multi-million pound bailout of a private forensics company to avoid the potential collapse of its criminal investigations.

Key Forensic Services, which is handling evidence-testing in a number of Lancashire Police investigations, went into administration earlier this year after the collapse of Carillion.

To stop the firm from going into liquidation The National Police Chiefs Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners intervened and provided a cash injection to allow KFS to complete the remaining 2,000 cases for a total of 30 police forces, including Lancashire.

Exactly how much Lancashire Police will have to contribute towards the bailout is still to be determined but it is estimated up to £2million has been forked out nationally so far.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “In conjunction with the Home Office and Association of Police & Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chief’s Council is working to minimise the impact on the criminal justice system and ongoing cases on the back of this announcement.

That includes a plan to ensure that any evidence held by the supplier is properly and professionally managed in accordance with the very high standards set by the Forensic Science Regulator.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for forensic markets, DCC James Vaughan, said: “An unmanaged closure of a major forensic provider would prove very disruptive to the criminal justice system and could lead to the integrity of vital evidence being compromised or lost.

“We have agreed and are implementing a plan to ensure that evidence held by this supplier is properly and professionally managed in accordance with very high standards set by the Forensic Regulator.”

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners lead for forensics and for public confidence, Mark Burns-Williamson said: “It’s vitally important that an arrangement has now been reached.”