What is a forensic examination?

A Forensic Medical Examination (FME) is a physical examination of a person’s body to collect evidence after a report of sexual assault has been made. The FME is conducted at a hospital or other health service by a medical professional. Once the examination is complete, a police officer will collect the evidence samples to send off for testing. 

If you would like support while you are examined, you can bring a support person with you. This could be a friend or family member, or in some cases, support services may have workers available to come with you.

The FME may include intimate examinations of your genitals.

Having an FME done is voluntary – you do not need to complete an examination if you do not want one. The main purpose of an FME is gather as much forensic evidence as possible to support the case, but it is not necessary.

You have the right to deny treatment at any time. Victim-survivors also have the right to request a female doctor and/or trauma-informed specialist.

During the examination, it’s likely that swabs will be taken from parts of your body which can be tested by Forensic Services Queensland (FSQ).

If you decide that you do not want the police to investigate, you can ask FSQ to store the swabs in case you want the police to investigate later. If you choose this option, the evidence will be stored at FSQ for a period of 24 months before it is disposed of. This option is called a ‘Collect and Store’ examination. 

If you change your mind and would like police to investigate, you can ask us to begin an investigation before this 24-month period is over so the swabs can still be tested.