Mark Shields, Deputy Police Commissioner, Jamaica Constabulary Force, 2005-2009

“I worked with Mark when I was leading an investigation into allegations of police extra-judicial killings in Jamaica in which four people were shot dead. It was an extremely sensitive case and Mark was instructed as the Ballistics expert. It was a huge case involving the reconstruction of the events that took place at the scene. Mark’s meticulous work at the scene and his clear interpretation of the type and direction of shots were crucial to the case. He then spent many weeks looking at tiny bullet fragments linking them together in an attempt to determine what weapons had discharged them. He showed sensitivity, independence of mind and a thorough grasp of his subject. He presented his evidence before the Lord Chief Justice of Jamaica in a clear, concise and easily understandable way. He was accepted by the Court as an expert in his field, a conclusion with which I can endorse. If you need an independent forensic firearms expert then Mark is your man. I now run a crime and security consultancy and I sometimes I receive requests to conduct independent reviews of crime investigations. I would have no hesitation in engaging Mark in a private capacity to conduct ballistic work on behalf of my company”