Gary Pugh
Biography
Gary Pugh OBE began his career as a forensic scientist in 1979 and in 1989 secured a place on a Cabinet Office programme for scientists and technologists which included experience in the development of government policy, working with Ministers, the workings of parliament and the development of legislation.
In 1990 he was seconded to the Science and Technology Group of the Home Office to work on the development of the Executive Agency that was to become the FSS. He joined that Agency on its launch in 1991 as a senior FSS manager and held several senior business and management posts through the 1990’s becoming a Director on the FSS Main and Executive Boards in 1999. During his time as a FSS Director he acted as the Senior Scientific Adviser to the HMIC on the “Under the Microscope” inspection and was the FSS Board representative on the Home Office DNA Expansion Programme.
In 2004, he took up the newly established post of Director of Forensic Services at the Metropolitan Police Service. He had responsibility for the operational and commercial strategies for forensic science and risk management and assurance within the MPS corporate frameworks. He developed, led and implemented major programmes of organisational change including introduction of new technology and accreditation to national and international scientific standards. His role also included strategic leadership of the forensic response to MPS, national and international events.
He worked closely with the previous Forensic Science Regulator (FSR) and her predecessor on various issues including supporting the establishment of the role itself and he has been Chair or a member of many strategic oversight boards for forensic science. He served two terms as Chair of the National DNA Database Strategy Board and was the SRO for the strategic matcher project within the Home Office Biometrics programme.
He has made submissions and given oral evidence to parliamentary committees including the Science and Technology Committee and Home Affairs Select Committee and gave evidence to the Fingerprint Inquiry Scotland. He wrote a chapter for the second Annual Report of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Forensic Science and Beyond: Authenticity, Provenance and Assurance in 2015. He was a visiting Professor in Forensic Science at Northumbria University (2008-2017), awarded Fellow of Kings College London (2014) and awarded OBE in the 2011 New Years Honours list.
Gary Pugh OBE has been reappointed as the Forensic Science Regulator (FSR) from 16 October 2024 to 25 July 2025. He was first appointed as the Statutory Forensic Science Regulator for a period of three years, commencing on 16 May 2021 and extended for an interim period to 15 October 2024. The Forensic Science Regulator (FSR) has been established under the Forensic Science Regulator Act 2021. The appointment has been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Forensic Science Regulator
Responsibilities involve:
- establish, and monitor compliance with, quality standards in the provision of forensic science services to the police service and the wider Criminal Justice System (CJS)
- ensure, where applicable, the accreditation of those supplying forensic science services to the police, including in-house police services and forensic suppliers to the wider CJS
- set and monitor compliance with, quality standards applying to national forensic science intelligence databases, beginning with NDNAD and the National Ballistics Intelligence System (NaBIS) the national fingerprint database and extending to others as they arise
- provide advice to Ministers, CJS organisations, suppliers and others as seems appropriate, on matters related to quality standards in forensic science
- deal with complaints from stakeholders and members of the public in relation to quality standards in the provision of forensic science services