Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
YouTubeForensics on the wheels – UNODC advances crime scene investigation in Balochistan
November 2, 2022 – Quetta - Crime scene processing is an important and crucial aspect of modern criminal justice investigation. Unfortunately, in the far-flung areas of Balochistan, the local police is not fully equipped with the latest skills in crime scene investigation, including proper identification and collection of evidence despite multitude of efforts by the Government of Balochistan in modernising its criminal investigation processes, bringing them at par with the latest technological know-how.
As a result, continued and deliberate efforts are required to build capacity and skills of the front-line police officers in the provision and use of modern crime scene investigation technologies. A trained crime scene investigator is far better than an ordinary policeman in understanding the sensitivity of crime scene to identify and collect forensic evidence. If not properly managed, a faulty investigation may result in loss of evidence and erroneous convictions putting the credibility of the entire chain of criminal justice system at stake.
UNODC Country Office in Pakistan continues to strengthen the rule of law in Balochistan through supporting the Police Department of Balochistan towards enhancing its operational capacity and efficiency in handling and investigation of serious crimes.
Under the gracious support of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), UNODC is implementing a 5-year (2017-2022) ‘Improving the Rule of Law in Balochistan-Pakistan’ programin collaboration with the Government of Balochistan. The Program aims to strengthen trust between citizens and government in the security and justice sector. As part of this, majority of the efforts are geared towards providing the Police Department of Balochistan both with forensic know-how as well as equipment through state-of-the-art Mobile Crime Scene Units (MCSUs). Supporting the crime scene investigation UNODC earlier on handing-over of eight Mobile Scene Crime Units.
In continuation of its commitment, UNODC has recently provided two additional Mobile Crime Scene Units to the Police in Balochistan, bringing the total strength of the MSCUs to ten. These units serve as mobile crime investigation labs, enabling increase in the timely outreach and conduct of extensive evidence collection and processing at crime scene sites to document, such as homicide crime scenes and investigations that involve causalities. The objective is to strengthen the capacity of the local police through deploying a Mobile Crime Scene Unit that acts as a mobile crime investigation lab staffed with trained technicians who are equipped with skills to document and investigate crime scenes as well as recover and preserve any physical evidence.
The deployment of two more Mobile Crime Scene Units was carried out through a modest yet prestigious handing-over ceremony in Quetta on 2nd November 2022. The event was attended by key stakeholders and dignitaries from the Criminal Justice Sectors, including the Police Department and UNODC. The participants at the ceremony welcomed the induction of Mobile Crime Scene Units as a significant milestone to further enhance the capacity and outreach in crime scene investigation of the police in Balochistan.
Media coverage:
Social Media
https://twitter.com/UNODCPakistan/status/1587775273940185090
https://www.facebook.com/unodc.pakistan/posts/1459550397876491
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6993542000457211905