[www.inewsguyana.com] – The role of the National Scientific Forensic Laboratory has been identified as critical to the modern crime fighting process and as a result, Government is investing heavily in capacity building of its staff.
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan in a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), said that the administration has recognised the critical role forensics play in solving crime, and thus it will continue to invest in training of personnel and providing the requisite equipment and resources for the effective functioning of the agency.
The Minister advised that the Forensic lab is operational and it is using scientific techniques to solve crimes. This strategy forms part of the modernisation process in keeping with international best practices.
“All those who have come from overseas and that have seen the lab are so impressed with it, the facilities there, the quality of the personnel and a number of other things. They are very good at finding out forged documents, they are now getting capacity in relation to specimen counterfeit money and managing to detect it very quickly,” Minister Ramjattan stated.
The reason for the continuous training of the key personnel at the facility has been underscored by the Ministry, as this is critical to maintaining the integrity and credibility of its officers, its specimens and its results. Efforts are also being made to train the scientists to respond to defend their results in a Court of Law.
“So they have to learn that aspect of it too, they might be good scientists but it’s one thing when you are a good scientist and you know this is a forgery, but when you go in a court of law and you hear the questions asked of you, you really realise that you are green at this thing so that kind of preparation is now going in to the personnel there.”
The state of the art facility has a highly specialised evidence recording system for lab information management that keeps track of evidence submitted for examination. It concentrates on the analysis of toxic substances, narcotic drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, alcohol, forged documents and biological fluids among others. The construction of the facility was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank at a cost of $1.4B.
Ramjattan, you prappa like this PPP lab, eh?
I see yall going ahead with the airport expansion, the specialty hospital and the Amaila Falls. What a bunch of hypocritical buffoons you are.
Give credit to the PPP for their vision and insight.