Institute Of Forensic Science Fully Equipped To Deal With Ballistics And DNA Analyses

Minister of National Security, Dr. the Hon. Horace Chang, says the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine is now fully equipped to deal with ballistics and DNA analyses.

Speaking in the House of Representatives on July 28, the Minister described the Institute as the finest and best equipped in the Caribbean.

“The quality of the work being done at the Institute is exceptional. Already, the team there is utilising advanced technology to give an additional level of support to the investigative capacity of the police through the use of irrefutable science,” Dr. Chang said.

“The Police now have a full suite of scientific support that will give them greater confidence in compiling the case evidence and working with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute criminals,” he added.

Further, he said the Government is ensuring that the technology is supported by critically trained analysts, who can provide a more fulsome understanding of criminal behaviour across the island and advise the leadership of the force on trends and directions that can impact institutional policies.

The Minister pointed out that the Institute is an additional asset that the Government has prioritised as part of its long-term crime-fighting and investigative apparatus.

“Through the application of irrefutable science to criminal investigations, we are beginning to surpass the ‘informer fi dead’ culture,” Dr. Chang said.

In the meantime, he advised that the breaking of ground for the autopsy suite is expected to take place later this year.

The Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, which is a merger of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the Legal Medicine Unit (LMU), is the chief testing lab for the Government.
Following the 2014 merger, a two-storey annex was built at the Institute at a cost of $300 million. It boasts closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs), a training/conference room, library, access control, fire suppression, and a DNA database.

The Institute has responsibility for conducting scientific forensic examinations and analyses on all forms of evidence submitted by the police and other agencies as well as doing post=mortems in cases of violent, sudden or suspicious deaths.