Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 07, 2018 (RSCNPF): The Forensic Department of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has been making strides in several of their investigations.
The department recently moved to a new facility which is housed on the premises of the Tabernacle Police Station. The facility is outfitted with some of the latest technology and, leading up to its opening, the staff had their skills upgraded as crime scene investigators, fingerprint examiners and forensic laboratory technicians. Several highly trained regional and international facilitators hosted a number of sessions that ran for almost eight weeks consecutively to prepare them for their larger roles.
As a result of the training and the new facility, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) with responsibility for the Crime Directorate, Andre Mitchell, has said that he has seen improvements in a number of areas.
“We’re seeing more work being produced by the lab as a result of the enhanced capacity of the persons there. Because we have more trained and accredited personnel, we no longer have to rely on one person in any area. I can tell you that I have also seen an improvement in the way crime scenes are being processed, and that is very important,” ACP Mitchell explained.
While some cases will take time, he noted that the use of the new facility was a critical part of major advancements being made in several ongoing investigations.
“The forensic facility has been helping in the area of ballistics. All the ballistic work in the Sergeant Dwight Davis case was done at the Forensic Lab. Processing for fingerprint data is also being done at the Forensic Department,” ACP Mitchell disclosed.
ACP Mitchell said that while technology was enhancing the work of the Crime Directorate, the assistance of the public was still paramount to solving cases and finding perpetrators. He reiterated that the Police could not do it alone. This is a statement previously made by other members of the High Command. As such, the Police are urging anyone with information regarding crimes that have been committed or suspicious activity to contact their nearest Police Station.
