John Charles Plimsoll Horswell JP MSc MPM FSSDip FFSSoc FRACI C & CP Chem FAIM FIFireE Churchill Fellow
Chief Forensic Consultant, Approved Forensics Sdn Bhd, Approved GroupSpecialist in Fire, Explosion and Forensic Investigation ProfileJohn Horswell is the Chief Forensic Consultant and a Director of Approved Forensics, Sendirian Berhad, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (UK), a Past President of IFE Australia (1997-2003) and a former Director of The Institution of Fire Engineers (International (2003-2006)).
Prior to joining Approved Forensics in August 2003 John completed a 30 year policing and law enforcement career with combined service in the Northern Territory and Australian Federal Police.
With the Northern Territory Police he performed the role of Field Scientist for fourteen years, during which time he carried out many fire origin and cause determinations. He was also responsible for initiating a joint agreement into a team approach by the Police and Fire Service in conducting fire scene origin and cause determinations and was the driver force behind the development and implementation of appropriate policy.
During his early service with the Australian Federal Police he carried out a number of fire origin and cause determinations throughout Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory and subsequently performed various senior management roles within Forensic Services, also for a fourteen year period.
During this period with the Australian Federal Police he headed up the Crime Scenes Branch and coordinated the provision of Forensic Services, which included fire investigation, to the Australian Capital Territory Region, the Territory of Jervis Bay and the external Territories of Norfolk and Christmas Island, through managing a Service Level Agreement (SLA).
He holds various academic and professional qualifications in a number of disciplines within Forensic Science, including training in the Management of Serious Crime with the Australian Federal Police College, a Churchill Fellowship studying Arson/Fire Investigation throughout the United States of America, Rendering Safe Improvised Explosive Devices with the Australian Army, Bomb Scene Examination under the auspices of Australia's SACCSCPAV and the Commercial use of Explosives at the Canberra Institute of Technology.
His current interests include Fire and Explosion Scene Investigation and the Management and Analysis of Major Incidents.
Academic QualificationsMaster of Science in Forensic Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, 1986
Certificate in Police Studies, South Australian Department of Further Education, Adelaide, 1981
Diploma in Scientific Crime Detection, American Institute of Applied Science, Syracuse, New York, 1981
Certificate in Forensic Science, Darwin Community College, Darwin, 1984
Diploma in Crime Scene Examination, Forensic Science Society of the United Kingdom, Harrogate, 1991
Diploma in Business Management, Australian Institute of Management, Canberra, 2000
Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, 2003
Master of Public Management, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, 2005
Professional QualificationsFellow (2005) of the Forensic Science Society (UK)
Fellow (1996) of the Australian Institute of Management
Fellow (1998) of the Institution of Fire Engineers (UK)
Fellow (1999) of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute
Chartered Chemist (1990) and Certified Practicing Chemist (2000)
Fellow (1999) of the Institute of Quality Assurance (UK)
Fellow (1995) of the Quality Society of Australasia
Membership of Learned SocietiesMember Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (1975)
Member International Association of Arson Investigators (1980)
Member of the American Society of Testing and Materials ASTM (1996)
Member of ASTM's E30 Committee on the Forensic Sciences (1996)
Lectures and PublicationsJohn was involved in the national forensic science curriculum writing programme and contributed to the following workshop and writing fire related curriculum:
Diploma in Forensic Investigation (Fire and Explosion Scene Examination) Module and Assessment Writers Workshop, Australian Committee for Training Curriculum (ACTRAC) and the National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS), Coolangatta 1996
He has made numerous presentations on the subject of fire and explosion scene examinations, including the following:
Terrorist Groups Resident in Australia, a paper prepared and presented to the 1996 SACCSCPAV Bomb Scene Examination Course, Melbourne.
Bombing Crime Scenes, A Theoretical Approach to Forensic Investigation, International Conference of the Australian Bomb Data Centre, Canberra, December 1996.
Fire Engineering and the Next Millennium, An Australian Perspective, Conference of The Institution of Fire Engineers, Torquay (England) 1999.
Forensic Science, Fire Investigation and Fire Engineering - A Partnership, CrimTrac 15th International Symposium on the Forensic Science, Gold Coast 2000.
The Use of Forensic Science in Claims and Fraud Detection, 2nd Asia Conference on Claims Management in Insurance, Kuala Lumpur 2003
A New Private Forensic Science Service for Malaysia and the Region, 1st Meeting of the AVIVA Insurance Claims Management Club, Kuala Lumpur 2003
The Use of Forensic Science in Claims Management, 3rd Asia Conference on Claims Management in Insurance, Singapore, 2005
Independent Forensic Science in the Detection of Fraudulent Insurance Claims, Indonesia Insurance Outlook Conference, Jakarta, 2005
Independent Forensic Science in the Detection of Fraudulent Insurance Claims, Vietnam New Challenges and Opportunities for the Rapidly Growing Construction Industry and Projects Conference, Ho Chi Minh City, 2005
Among his single and joint publications are the following:
HORSWELL, John and MANSER, Ray, Fire Origin and Cause - Team Approach to Fire Scene Examination, Fire Engineers Journal, The International Journal of the Institution of Fire Engineers 1999; 59 (202) pp. 33 - 36.
HORSWELL, John, Fire down below, an article describing the bush fires that erupted around Canberra, south-east Australia, on 24 and 25 December 2001, Fire Prevention Fire Engineers Journal May 2002 p. 56.
HORSWELL, John, Capital punishment, Canberra's Firestorm, an article describing the bush fires that caused the death of four (4) residents and destroyed approximately 500 homes on 16 January 2003, Fire Prevention Fire Engineers Journal, June 2003 pp.32 and 33.
HORSWELL, John, and PALLEN, Louis, Island insight, a look at the structure and function of the Mauritius Fire Service, Fire Prevention Fire Engineers Journal, August 2003 pp. 61 and 62.
HORSWELL, John, (Editor) The Practice of Crime Scene Investigation, Chemical Rubber Company, Boca Raton, Florida, 2004.
Personal Contributions to the BookIntroduction
Chapter one - Crime Scene Investigation
Chapter four - Quality Systems Accreditation and Crime Scene Investigation
Chapter five - Management of Crime Scene Investigation
Chapter seven - Crime Scene Photography
Co-author ContributionsChapter two - Associative Evidence - The Locard Exchange Principle (with Craig Fowler)
Chapter three - The Education and Training of Crime Scene Investigators: an Australian Perspective (with Suzanne Stanley)
HORSWELL, John, Editorial, The Use of Forensic Science, Asia Insurance Review, SIRC Special Edition, September 2005, pp. 41 - 43.
Fire EngineeringJohn has a long association with the Institution of Fire Engineers and was one of the pioneers in establishing the importance of fire science and engineering knowledge and education among fire investigators, especially police and crime scene examiners.
He served as the ACT Group President (1996 - 2002) and the National President of the Institution of Fire Engineers, Australia Inc. (1997 - 2003). In 2002 he was elected from the world-wide membership to what was then known as the International Council of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
Following a restructure of the organisation in 2002, he was again elected to the UK based International Board of The Institution of Fire Engineers for the period 2003 - 2006. He continues to contribute to Fire Science Engineering through publishing in the literature on subjects of interest to him.
Professional Vocational TrainingJohn has undertaken and attended a wide range of training courses, conferences and seminars in many aspects of Crime Scene Examination, Fire and Explosion Scene Investigation, Laboratory Analysis of Fire-Related Evidence, Bomb and Explosion Scene Examination.
In 1984, John travelled throughout the USA as a 'Churchill Fellow' on a Churchill Travelling Fellowship studying many aspects of fire and arson investigation. During this period he was attached to the fire and explosion investigation departments of numerous US police and fire agencies as well as undertaking formal training courses with the United States Fire Academy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Operational ExperienceHe was an operational Crime Scene Investigator for the Northern Territory Police attached to the Forensic Science Section, Police Headquarters, Darwin between 1974 and 1989. During this period he investigated a variety of critical incidents which included singular and multiple homicides and some of the Territory's more significant criminal and fire cases.
He managed the Crime Scene Branch of the Australian Federal Police Forensic Services Division between January 1996 and June 1998. This comprised a team of fifteen responsible for the provision of a crime and fire scene response to the Australian Capital Territory, the Territory of Jervis Bay and Australia's external Territories of Norfolk and Christmas Islands. He also assisted countries in the South West Pacific Region with a crime and fire scene response, including Vanuatu and Fiji.
Experience Working in AsiaIn 2003, at the invitation of the Directors of the Approved Group of Companies in Kuala Lumpur, John came to Malaysia as a Principal Consultant to set up a private forensic science service (Approved Forensics) for Malaysia and the region. Services initially started with Fire Investigation and expanded into other areas of forensic interest to the insurance industry and legal fraternity. This involved training university graduates in the disciplines of Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemical and Process Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mining Engineering, Forensic Science and Biomedical Technology as forensic investigators and attending incident scenes to record, interpret, and recover evidential material involving both the civil and criminal law. He remains involved with the company in the provision of leadership in forensic science, marketing, identification of appropriate equipment, liaison with other specialist associates, theoretical and practical on-the-job training of company staff and others, site visits, case review and court attendances as required.
John has ascertained the origin and cause of fires in a wide range of settings including hotels, houses, shopping complexes, bars, food halls, offices, fires in high-rise buildings, businesses and factory buildings, raw material and finished product warehouses and stores, abattoirs, sawmills, leisure craft, caravans and vehicles in Australia (Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory), Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia (West - Peninsula and East - Borneo Island), Maldives, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
His investigations have covered the following industries: Aquarium wholesalers and retailers; Printing, Paper and Stationary; Paper manufacturing; Building; Cement; Vehicle spare parts; Vehicle repairs; Coconut fibre; Chocolate; Petroleum; Textiles and Clothing; Rubber production and Rubber gloves; Plastic (Melamine) manufacturing; Palm oil; Rice growing and flour manufacturing; Mixed retail businesses; Hotels and Resorts; Residential; Meat processing; Offices; Steel, Wood and Mattress furniture manufacturers and Retail outlets; Theatre; Food manufacturing, Wholesalers and retailers; Electrical sub-stations and Retailers; Large shopping complexes; Food hall outlets; Boats, Cars, Caravans and Trucks; Sewerage Pumping Stations and Sawmills.
Insurance Industry ExperienceJohn has provided services to a broad group of insurers and loss adjusters within the insurance industry and a number of legal firms in Asia, including:
MalaysiaInsurance CompaniesAllianz General Insurance Malaysia, Berhad
AmAssurance, Berhad
American Home Assurance Company
American International Assurance Company Limited
Asia Insurance (Malaysia), Berhad
AVIVA Insurance, Berhad
AXA Affin Assurance, Berhad
Berjaya General Insurance, Berhad
Hong Leong Assurance, Berhad
Hong Leong Property Management Company, Sendirian Berhad
ING Insurance, Berhad
Jerneh Insurance, Berhad
Kunia Insurans (Malaysia), Berhad
Lonpac Insurance, Berhad
Mayban General Insurance, Berhad
Malaysian Broadwide, Sendirian Berhad
Malaysia National Insurance, Berhad
Malaysia & Nippon Insurance, Berhad
Multi-Purpose Insurance, Berhad
Pacific Insurance - PacificMas, Berhad
Pacific & Orrient Insurance Company, Berhad
PanGlobal Insurance, Sendirian Berhad
QBE-MBF Insurance, Berhad
RHB Insurance, Berhad
Royal Sun & Alliance Insurance (M), Berhad
Tokyo Marine Insurans, Berhad
Takaful Malaysia, Berhad
Uni Asia General Insurance, Berhad
Adjusters and InvestigatorsAFIL Adjusters & Investigators, Sendirian Berhad
Associated Adjusters, Sendirian Berhad
Century Independent Loss Adjusters & Investigators,Sendirian Berhad
Crawford & Company Adjusters (Malaysia), Sendirian Berhad
Cunningham Lindsey Adjusters, Sendirian Berhad
GAB Robins (Malaysia), Sendirian Berhad
Links Survey (M), Sendirian Berhad
Maphilindo International, Sendirian Berhad, Adjusters, Engineers & Claims Services
Mestari Adjusters, Sendirian Berhad, Surveyors, Engineers
Motor Jasa Adjusters, Sendirian Berhad
Malaysian Broadwide Adjusters, Sendirian Berhad
LK & Associates (M), Sendirian Berhad, Insurance Loss Adjusters & Investigators
McLarens Saksama (Malaysia), Sendirian Berhad
LawyersC K Tan & Company
Edwin, Lim & Suren and Partners
Naga & Associates
Khoo & Sidhu Advocates & Solicitors
G.S. Mani Ganesh, Advocates & Solicitors
BruneiInsurance CompaniesInsurans ISLAM TAIB, Brunei
Southern Insurance, Sendirian Berhad
Adjusters and InvestigatorsAfil Adjusters and Investigators, Sendirian Berhad, Kuala Lumpur
IndonesiaInsurance CompaniesPT Asuransi Central Asia
PT Asuransi Rama Satria Wibawa
PT Asuransi Allianz Utama
PT LG Insurances Indonesia
PT Asuransi Beringin Sejahter Artamakmur
Institution of Fire Engineers
