Terrorism Investigation Course, Collection, Preservation, & Analysis of Physical Evidence in Terrorism Cases

Islamabad, 12 December 2019 - In order to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan's territory, it is essential for the KP Police to reinforce its capacity building and remain up-to-date with the latest trends in the security regime. To improve the current capacity of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police and other related institutions, UNODC under the PACT Project, with the financial assistance of the European Union, has designed a Terrorism Investigation Course wherein a comprehensive session on the module of 'Collection, Preservation, & Analysis of Physical Evidence in Terrorism Cases' was conducted, from 25 -29 November 2019 at the Police School of Investigation, Peshawar.

On the training's first day a brief overview was held, after which the contents of the module were deliberated upon. The first session dealt with 'The Concept of Evidence, & Oral and Documentary Evidence' and 'The Importance of Preserving the Crime Scene', in which details such as the significance of a crime scene and its importance in case development were discussed. Trainers also focussed on the 'Impact of Lack of Coordination' on a case's development, and its consequences at later stage; after which they concluded the day with a group activity to further reinforce the lessons learned.

The second day took off on a similar pattern: after a reflection on learning session the trainer, Sahibzada Sikandar, presented a case study related to 'Direct and Indirect Evidence, & Primary and Secondary Evidence' in which the differences between each type were explained. Elaborating upon the legal aspects of the module, Mr Sikandar gave a presentation on 'The Legal Framework of Evidence', following which a group activity was held to assess the knowledge gains of the day.

Throughout the remaining days of training there were discussions on categorization of 'Oral Evidence and its Relevant Jurisprudence'. Each session remained interactive in nature, with special emphasis placed on technical know-how of the subject matter. Trainers also dilated upon 'Circumstantial Evidence, and Principles & Relevance of Circumstantial Evidence in Terrorism Cases'. Each training day concluded with group activity and a quiz to assess the leanings of participants.

On the last day of the session, the remaining contents of the modules were discussed wherein the trainer, Mr Bakht Munir, presented on 'Collection and Preservation of Documents and Digital Evidence'. This lecture was considered essential as it discussed the topic of evidence in terrorism related cases. Dr Muhammad Tahir spoke on 'Collection and Preservation of DNA, Blood, other Body Parts, and Bodily Fluids', and elaborated upon the last two topics of the module including 'Collection and Preservation of Explosives' and 'Collection and Preservation of Fingerprints and Ballistics'.

Overall, the training on the module of 'Collection, Preservation, & Analysis of Physical Evidence in Terrorism Cases' was extremely beneficial to the participants, who stated that significant learning was gained during this session. They also acknowledged that the learning platform encouraged them to share their personal experiences from the field, adding further to the knowledge and expertise gained.