Privacy Policy

Last updated: 20 October 2026

This policy explains how Forensic Science Investigations Ltd, trading as Emmerson Associates (“we”, “us”, “our”), collects and uses personal information when you visit this website, contact us, or instruct us. We are the data controller for this information under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

Forensic Science Investigations Ltd trading as Emmerson Associates
Office 6, Enterprise Centre, Caxton Road, St Ives, PE27 3NP
Telephone: 01480 460 116
Email: info@emmerson-forensic.co.uk

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact us using the details above.

What information we collect

When you contact us through the website form, by email or by phone, we collect the details you give us. This is usually your name, email address, phone number and the content of your message.

When you instruct us, we receive and create information about the case. This may include statements, reports, exhibits, test results, court dates and funding details. It may come from you, your solicitor, the court, the police or the prosecution. Because of the nature of our work, case material can include special category data (for example health or genetic information, such as blood, alcohol, drug or DNA results) and information about criminal allegations, offences or convictions.

When you visit the website, our web server and security software automatically record technical information. This includes your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit. We use it to keep the site secure and protect it from abuse.

How we use your information and our lawful basis

• To answer your enquiry and provide a quotation: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or our legitimate interest in responding to people who contact us.
• To carry out the work you instruct us to do, including examining evidence, preparing reports and giving expert evidence: performance of our contract with you or your legal representative.
• Special category and criminal offence data is processed only where it is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or for the purpose of legal proceedings (UK GDPR Article 9(2)(f) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1).
• To keep records for accounting, tax, insurance and professional purposes: legal obligation and our legitimate interests.
• To keep the website secure and prevent spam and misuse: our legitimate interests.

We do not sell your information, we do not use it for marketing, and we do not make decisions about you by automated means.

Who we share your information with

We only share personal information where it is necessary for the purposes above. This may include:

• your solicitor or legal representative, and the court, as part of the case;
• specialist laboratories or other experts we work with on a case, under confidentiality obligations;
• our IT, website hosting and email providers, who store data on our behalf;
• our accountants, insurers and professional advisers;
• regulators, the police or other authorities where the law requires it.

Spam protection

Our contact form uses Google reCAPTCHA to protect against spam. reCAPTCHA collects device and browser information and sends it to Google for analysis. Google’s use of this information is covered by its Privacy Policy. Google may process this data outside the UK, under the safeguards set out in its own terms.

Cookies

This website uses a small number of cookies. Some are essential for the site to work, and others are only set if you agree. Full details are in our Cookie Policy. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the options below.

How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes above. Enquiries that do not lead to an instruction are deleted once they are no longer needed. Case files are kept for as long as needed for the case and any appeal or related proceedings, and to meet our legal, insurance and professional obligations. After that they are securely destroyed.

Keeping your information secure

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information. These include access controls, a secure server for receiving case documents, and security monitoring of this website. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. If you need to send sensitive case material, please ask us about our secure upload facility rather than using ordinary email.

Your rights

Under data protection law you have the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• ask us to delete your information;
• ask us to restrict how we use your information;
• object to our use of your information where we rely on legitimate interests;
• ask for your information to be transferred to another organisation, where this applies.

Some of these rights are limited where we need to keep information for legal proceedings or to meet a legal obligation. To make a request, please contact us using the details above. We will respond within one month.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first so we can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or 0303 123 1113.

Links to other websites

This website may link to other websites. We are not responsible for how those websites handle your information, so please read their privacy policies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated shown at the top.