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From Charity Nwakaudu and Ajiri Daniels, Abuja
Global network of experienced professionals and consultants, Devongnosis Education Limited, in partnership with the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs section of the US Embassy, has trained officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on basic crime scene investigation and forensics.
The training is to enhance the skill of officers in the application of forensic science to the preservation of crime scenes and proper evidence collection.
The 5-day event which was tagged “Forensic Training on Basic Crime Scene Investigation with Emphasis on Homicides” rounded off with a certificate award ceremony in Abuja.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the training, the Chairman of Devongnosis Education Ltd, Brig Gen D B Shaljaba (rtd), noted that the purpose of the training was to help officers receive comprehensive and specialized training in the application of forensic science to crime scene investigation.
“They (officers) will demonstrate proficiency in crime scene management and processing; crime scene and evidence documentation; print, impression, trace and biological evidence development; shooting scene reconstruction, bloodstain pattern recognition and documentation, and many more,” he said.
While charging the officers to be good ambassadors in the discharge of their duties, Shaljaba also expressed his gratitude to the organisers and facilitators for the support in ensuring that the training recorded huge success.
Earlier in her remarks, the US Charge d’Affairs, Kathleen FitzGibbon expressed hope that the training would enhance the process of fair and equal justice in the legal collection of evidence and prosecution of crime perpetrators.
She said, “One of the descriptions for this course as astute officers is to recognise perusal process, collect evidence that can be used to support homicide investigations.
“This course is very important because it’s not just about finding the perpetrator, it’s about making sure you have the evidence to convict the perpetrator. In this course they leant very much about how to manage a crime scene. When you come upon a crime scene there are a lot of people around, there is contamination; how not to contaminate yourself, how to calm people down, making sure that the victims are being taken care of and also making sure that the actual rights of both the victim and the perpetrator are respected – because if you don’t do those things, the case gets to Court and it falls apart. So, it is important for the Judges to know that there is a lot of integrity in the evidence that is being collected.”
Other special guests of honour at the ceremony included, AIG Habu Sani Ahmadu of the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), Justice Bitrus Sanga of the Federal Court of Appeal, CP Shehu Sani Gwarzo Forensic Force CIID, and a host of other dignitaries.
