Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 23, 2020 (RSCNPF): The scientific approach to crime fighting by the Department of Forensics and Crime Scene has been further strengthened by the support of the Regional Security System’s (RSS) generous donation of consumables (disposable items) and equipment.
“I’m happy that the RSS continues to stand by its promise to support its member states as they seek to address the contemporary crime and security challenges effecting all of our societies and we are even more pleased that we are able to support the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in the provision of crime scene investigation equipment, specifically personal protection equipment, evidence collection and preservation equipment, as well as fingerprint and photographic equipment,” said Executive Director of the RSS, Captain Errington Shurland.
He said this while speaking at a Handing Over Ceremony held on March 16, at the Police Training Complex where a number of items valued at EC$132,000 were given to the Forensic and Crime Scene Unit. The items included coveralls, face masks, tamper evidence boxes, weapons tubes, fingerprint kits, gunshot residue kits, camera kits, and DNA swabs among other things.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Osmond Petty registered his appreciation to the RSS for their donation and their continuous overall support of the ministry.
“Without the application of forensic science, criminals can never be convicted unless an eyewitness is present. While the objective of law enforcement are involved in the collection of evidence…it is forensic science that deals with the analysis of those evidence in order to establish facts…we want to thank the RSS for its continued support of our crime fighting efforts in St. Kitts, not just in forensics, but in training our Police staff and working with our Police on the ground as we fight crime…,” he said.
Director of Forensics, Latoya Lake-Marshall, thanked the RSS for their timely contribution to the department as it would aid in the productivity and efficiency of the unit in their crime fighting efforts.
“Yet again we see the concern and support displayed by the RSS administration in promoting the scientific approach to crime fighting within the Caribbean region…on behalf of the technicians and staff of the Forensics and Crime Scene Unit here in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, we would like to thank the commander and the administrative staff of the RSS for this timely donation of consumables and equipment. We are eternally grateful for your constant support and contributions towards this rigorous task of scientific crime fighting…,” she said.
The equipment was allocated under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and provides development cooperation aid for Asian, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. This move will continue to fuel the efforts of the Police in increasing its solvability rate via forensics.
