Aruma Supported Employees help to solve crime

Collecting DNA samples at a crime scene can be risky business, so a team of Aruma Supported Employees are helping a growing number of police agencies to keep contamination at bay.  

Aruma’s Forensic Supplies business based in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, this month got the tick of approval to maintain their  ISO 18385 certification – one of only 10 companies worldwide with this authorisation.

This means they are authorised to continue producing forensic sampling kits that are virtually free of DNA. Such kits reduce the risk of DNA evidence being compromised due to interference from contamination.

Aruma Forensic Supplies Department Supervisor Lisa McLoughlin said her team of 19 Supported Employees work in the forensics department to make and package some 3000 ISO 18385-certified kits each month.

We started looking into getting the accreditation back in 2016 and we went through the training and other processes to get it in 2019, Lisa says.

We need to meet strict requirements to keep the accreditation, and we undergo auditing every year, which we’ve just got the official green light from for this year.

The team of Supported Employees work on a rotating roster and need to follow a range of guidelines to perform their roles.

Everyone in the team is fully geared up from head to toe in Personal Protective Clothing, including hair nets, masks, gloves, protective gowns and shoe covers, Lisa says.

It’s so rewarding to be creating such essential and highly specialised products for our high-profile customers. I don’t think many local people in Burleigh Heads would realise what we do here!

Supported Employees Daniel Ford and David Walmsley have worked in the Forensics Department for four and six years respectively.

I like working here because I know I am making a difference and assisting the police, David says.

It makes me feel good to come to work with my friends and I know I can get help with anything from my Team Leaders who are always there, Daniel adds.

Aruma Forensic Supplies has a range of customers on the books for ISO 18385-certified kits, including Queensland Police Service, NSW Police, and even ships overseas to the Fiji Police Force.

The wider team of 30 Supported Employees also make a range of other testing kits for law enforcement agencies including Northern Territory Police and Tasmania Police.

For more information:

Brienna Snare

Phone: 0477 851 232

Email: brienna.snare@aruma.com.au