Police Minister Jack Dempsey said he had been assured the job cuts would not affect police work at the Forensic and Scientific Services area, including the John Tonge Centre. "I was made aware of the changes which would be taking place at the John Tonge Centre," Mr Dempsey said. "The Health Minister has assured me that there will be no impact on DNA or police evidence processing and that highly specialised testing will continue to be provided by FSS." Australian Crime Commission acting executive director Judith Lind said the organisation's main concern was that 70 per cent of clan labs were found in residential homes. She said the Australian Crime Commission would not comment on government job cuts.

A concerned scientist said more than the 77 jobs reported last week were being axed from the centre, and said it would lead to delays in coronial investigations and drug lab tests. "Clandestine laboratories are hazardous by nature and pose a real risk to the community and the police who respond to these scenes," the staff member said. "The staff who attend these scenes to assist the police in decommissioning the laboratories are highly trained and it can take up to two years to train a chemist to work independently. "A reduction of staff in these areas will unfortunately place us back down the path of lengthy delays with no rational explanation or justification." Queensland Health yesterday confirmed an extra 11 jobs would go in FSS DNA analysis, toxicology and chemistry areas.

"As a result of restructuring, 11 currently occupied (full-time equivalent) positions will not be continued," a spokesman said. However the spokesman's statement said the job losses would not impact police work. "Elements of routine testing not connected with police or court-related activity that is currently undertaken by FSS scientists is also performed by providers in the private sector," he said. "Their services may therefore be contracted for this type of work, freeing up the scientists for detailed work." Shadow Police Minister Bill Byrne said concerns had also been raised with him over the job cuts because there was a real danger the evidence trail could be broken.

"I would think it is just ludicrous frankly, that that area of the scientific support to the investigation process would be compromised in any fashion," he said. "I can't think of a role that is more directly related to front-line services than these scientific support staff which you need as part of your evidentiary trail." Mr Byrne said he was concerned at the LNP's strategy to reduce staff, especially when specialist staff were lost. "It really is quite arbitrary, it's top down - a dictate coming down saying, 'I want a 25 per cent cut in your operating costs'," he said. "'And I want is a number of options on the table and I want them on the table in two weeks and I will select one.'

Loading "Which is not a logical, or necessarily effective approach." There will be 124 full-time equivalent staff at Forensic and Scientific Services DNA, toxicology and chemistry areas after the restructure, Queensland Health said.