How Bluestar Software Transformed Footwear Forensics in the UK

Bramble Hub’s partner Bluestar Software (Bluestar) has played a key role in developing and implementing the UK's National Footwear Service (NFS), which includes the National Footwear Reference Collection (NFRC) and the National Footwear Database (NFD). These systems have revolutionised the ways in which police can analyse and share footwear intelligence, significantly boosting the efficiency and accuracy of criminal investigations across the UK.

Origins and Development of the Footwear Forensics Programme

The Serious and Organised Crime and Police Act, introduced in 2006, expanded police powers to collect biometric evidence from suspects, including footwear impressions, similar to the routine collection of fingerprints and DNA.

Building on this legal foundation, Bluestar collaborated with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), West Yorkshire Police and Lancashire Constabulary to develop the NFRC, which launched in 2009. Bluestar designed and built the IT infrastructure for this groundbreaking initiative, while West Yorkshire Police hosted it on a secure platform accessible to forces across England and Wales. The NFRC introduced a standardised coding system for footwear patterns, replacing the fragmented regional approaches that had previously hindered cross-border crime detection.

Following the NFRC’s success, Bluestar developed the National Footwear Database (NFD), integrating data from crime scenes and custody suites into a unified repository. This real-time intelligence sharing streamlines investigations across forces. The NFD processes over 36,000 transactions daily and typically returns search results in under a tenth of a second.

TreadMatch

To help forces maximise the value of the NFD, Bluestar has developed TreadMatch, a client application that allows scans of suspects’ shoes, and photos of footprints from detainees, to be uploaded to, and matched against, the database.

Real-World Impact and Case Studies

Since its inception, the National Footwear Service has become a valuable tool for UK policing. The system currently contains almost 60,000 unique footwear patterns and is actively used by over 5,000 individuals working in 32 forces. It helps identify suspects by linking footwear impressions from crime scenes to specific individuals or shoe models; over 4,000 footwear images are added to the system each month. This wealth of data is especially effective in solving crimes involving repeat offenders or tracking criminal activity across multiple jurisdictions.

Bluestar's Technological Innovations and Future Vision

Bluestar Software's expertise in forensic technology has been instrumental to the success of these systems. Through advanced search capabilities, automated coding tools, and intuitive user interfaces, Bluestar has enabled police forces to maximise the value of footwear evidence.

Looking ahead, Bluestar is exploring AI-powered image analysis tools to enhance footwear matching accuracy and integrate with international databases. The company is also developing mobile-enabled access to support real-time analysis by officers at crime scenes.

As Bluestar continues to expand its forensic technology offerings, the future of digital policing looks increasingly sophisticated, integrated, and responsive to the evolving needs of law enforcement.