Evidence-gathering and Testing to Be Enhanced

As part of the Police Department’s modernization and upgrade from the budget, Commissioner Williams explained that one of the areas that will also be enhanced has to do with securing and gathering evidence and testing, as well as being able to conduct DNA-testing.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We’ll be looking at expanding our camera surveillance system. We’re looking at the fingerprint system. So everything that has to do with technology to enhance policing is what we’re going to do. The minister spoke about the issue of DNA, the field DNA testing. That’s a very important thing for us, likewise especially in this area. If we have a sample, for example, where we can do the field DNA testing and it proves positive, then we can then send it, the sample, to the lab to get that official result. That way it’s going to eliminate the cost to send something to the DNA lab that may not come back with a match. So we’ll only be able to send those that we believe will have that match when the time comes. There’s a lot from information technology-wise that the ministry is pushing. All in a view to ensure that we can enhance the police department we, do appreciate the importance of the service that we provide to the Belizean people, and we want to make sure we do so in the most professional and expedient manner as we possibly can.”