The Deputy Commissioner of Police responsible for Operations, Mr Kenny Kapinga has urged police forensic experts to be more committed to providing timely scientific evidence to assist the courts to pass timely judgements on cases.

Officiating at the Botswana Police Forensic Science Services Conference in Mahalapye on Friday (17/09/10), held under a theme “Optimizing Scientific Investigation”, Mr Kapinga encouraged scientific experts from Forensic Laboratory, Forensic Pathology and Crime Scene Investigation Services to always deliver their part of evidence in the shortest possible time to avoid unnecessary delays in service delivery.

Mr Kapinga said effective use of scientific methods in examining crime scenes and analysing evidence is likely to significantly improve crime detection rates, especially in corporate targeted offences such as murder, break-ins and theft, burglary and theft, rape, defilement and robbery.

He was worried that backlog of cases awaiting forensic investigation were increasingly becoming a concern, saying it should be expedited. He said many victims of crime continue to complain that police officers take too long to attend to break-ins and stolen vehicles that have been abandoned, resulting in evidence being lost.

He cautioned scientific investigators against doctoring evidence to incriminate accused persons, saying the behaviour is shameful and may make it difficult to restore the lost police credibility. He advised them to be inquisitive, self driven, and achievement oriented in gathering scientific evidence, urging them to be more meticulous or methodical when searching a crime scene to be able to unearth evidence that could incriminate.

The Director of Forensic Science Services (FSS) Dr Baboloki Tumediso Magora said her Branch was established to ensure that science was made an integral tool in crime fighting effort in the Botswana Police, saying their mandate cover among others, provision of forensic science services, provision of expert testimony in the courts of law and medico legal investigation services.

She however, encouraged forensic experts and crime scene investigators to uphold the profession by conducting their work in an ethical manner, saying allegations of misconduct should be investigated and immediately corrected.

The Director further said reports that investigators sometimes mishandle evidence or fail to recognize or collect it from the scene should be a thing of the past.

The first conference of its kind since the establishment of Botswana Police Forensic Science Services Branch drew participation from across the country with the objective of delivering the Branch’s mandate. The Conference is expected to be an annual event.