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Forensic Lab in shambles
Not enough trained staff and equipment
BY KARYL WALKER Sunday Observer staff reporter
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Faced with a huge backlog of DNA evidence from crime scenes, the Government Forensic Laboratory is close to crumbling under the pressure, as it lacks enough trained staff and equipment.
Green. it is a serious drawback
"To say that we are struggling is an understatement, head of the laboratory, Dr Judith Mowatt, told the Sunday Observer. "Tests are now done manually and we need to get to a point which will enable less hands-on time and quicker turnaround."
DNA is the acronym for Deoxyribonucleic Acid, a material that contains the genetic orders for the growth and function of all life forms. The main role of DNA in a cell is for long-term storage of information. It is often compared to a blueprint, as it has the instructions to build other parts of the cell, such as proteins.
Locally, only four persons are trained to deal with all DNA tests done by the Government, and with an average of over 1,000 murders per year, the system is overloaded. DNA evidence is also crucial in rape and other forms of sexual offence cases putting further demands on the lab's small staff.
To add to the woes of the laboratory staff and police investigators, six of eight machines purchased by the Government in 2000 are now out of service.
DNA testing, although fairly new technology, is completed in three days in developed countries, but at present takes up to one month to be completed locally.
According to Mowatt, tests are now done through the labour-intensive and time-consuming Vertical Gel Electrofhoresis system which was acquired by the Government in 2000.
A recent reminder of how the lengthy period affects crime-fighting and delays closure for relatives of the victims is the recent discovery of two bodies believed to be elderly Mandeville couple, Richard and Julia Lyn.
The decomposing remains were found at the Martin's Hill landfill in Manchester two Saturdays ago, but after on-the-spot post mortems were completed, Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green announced that the relatives may have to wait until the end of this month for the police to say whether the bodies are those of the Lyns.
According to Green, the situation was harrowing for all involved.
"It is a serious drawback," he said. "The situation affects the relatives of the victims, the suspects who sometimes wait for long periods for the results to disprove or confirm their involvement in a crime, the officers who are pressured to quickly put a case together and the criminal justice system with the delay in numerous cases."
But there is a beacon of hope for the police and their archaic testing capabilities.
On Wednesday this week, representatives of the police will meet with the National Security Crime Committee of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica in order to source US$5 million to modernise the forensic lab.
"It will take us US$5 million to take us to the basic minimum standard," ACP Green said.
President of the PSOJ, Christopher Zacca, has since indicated the organisation's willingness to help the police in their fight against crime.
"We are eternally committed to assisting the police to acquire whatever it is they need to fight crime," Zacca told the Sunday Observer.
The police have already benefited from a US$1.2-million donation from corporate giant GraceKennedy for the rebuilding and refurbishing of the DNA section of the laboratory.
[email protected]
Not enough trained staff and equipment
BY KARYL WALKER Sunday Observer staff reporter
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Faced with a huge backlog of DNA evidence from crime scenes, the Government Forensic Laboratory is close to crumbling under the pressure, as it lacks enough trained staff and equipment.
Green. it is a serious drawback
"To say that we are struggling is an understatement, head of the laboratory, Dr Judith Mowatt, told the Sunday Observer. "Tests are now done manually and we need to get to a point which will enable less hands-on time and quicker turnaround."
DNA is the acronym for Deoxyribonucleic Acid, a material that contains the genetic orders for the growth and function of all life forms. The main role of DNA in a cell is for long-term storage of information. It is often compared to a blueprint, as it has the instructions to build other parts of the cell, such as proteins.
Locally, only four persons are trained to deal with all DNA tests done by the Government, and with an average of over 1,000 murders per year, the system is overloaded. DNA evidence is also crucial in rape and other forms of sexual offence cases putting further demands on the lab's small staff.
To add to the woes of the laboratory staff and police investigators, six of eight machines purchased by the Government in 2000 are now out of service.
DNA testing, although fairly new technology, is completed in three days in developed countries, but at present takes up to one month to be completed locally.
According to Mowatt, tests are now done through the labour-intensive and time-consuming Vertical Gel Electrofhoresis system which was acquired by the Government in 2000.
A recent reminder of how the lengthy period affects crime-fighting and delays closure for relatives of the victims is the recent discovery of two bodies believed to be elderly Mandeville couple, Richard and Julia Lyn.
The decomposing remains were found at the Martin's Hill landfill in Manchester two Saturdays ago, but after on-the-spot post mortems were completed, Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green announced that the relatives may have to wait until the end of this month for the police to say whether the bodies are those of the Lyns.
According to Green, the situation was harrowing for all involved.
"It is a serious drawback," he said. "The situation affects the relatives of the victims, the suspects who sometimes wait for long periods for the results to disprove or confirm their involvement in a crime, the officers who are pressured to quickly put a case together and the criminal justice system with the delay in numerous cases."
But there is a beacon of hope for the police and their archaic testing capabilities.
On Wednesday this week, representatives of the police will meet with the National Security Crime Committee of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica in order to source US$5 million to modernise the forensic lab.
"It will take us US$5 million to take us to the basic minimum standard," ACP Green said.
President of the PSOJ, Christopher Zacca, has since indicated the organisation's willingness to help the police in their fight against crime.
"We are eternally committed to assisting the police to acquire whatever it is they need to fight crime," Zacca told the Sunday Observer.
The police have already benefited from a US$1.2-million donation from corporate giant GraceKennedy for the rebuilding and refurbishing of the DNA section of the laboratory.
[email protected]
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