The annual audit reviews compliance with legislative provisions aimed at protecting the rights of individuals undergoing forensic procedures as well as the integrity of the forensics process to ensure the administration of justice.

The 2025-26 audit report reveals high levels of compliance for victims and volunteers procedures and simple suspects procedures, and full compliance for offenders procedures, procedures on deceased persons and blood testing for communicable diseases. It identifies several areas of practice relating to authorised suspects procedures that require improvement, recommending action to enhance compliance with obligations:

• to provide appropriate representatives for protected persons
• to provide interpreters
• regarding the storage of audio-visual records
• to avoid unnecessary humiliation in the conduct of procedures
• to provide same-sex practitioners for intrusive procedures where reasonably practicable
• to avoid offending cultural or religious beliefs as far as practicable.

Following on from the Ombudsman’s recommendations in the 2024-25 audit to improve cultural safety for First Nations suspects undergoing intrusive forensic procedures, the Ombudsman has made a recommendation aimed at addressing the supply issue of male practitioners available to carry out intrusive forensic procedures. The Ombudsman has recommended that SA Police work in collaboration with SA Health networks to identify appropriate male practitioners available to undertake intrusive procedures in hospitals, and that the South Australian Government consider amendment to the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Regulations 2022 to enable appropriately trained police officers to carry out the forensic procedures in question.

View the report 2025-26 Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Act 2007- Audit Report (PDF, 1.3 MB).