In his opening speech this morning (Aug 26) at the Diamond Hall of the Special Mobile Force, Vacoas,  the Ag. Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service, Mr Raj Mudhoo, underlined the commitment of the Government to improve law and order in the country. He made mention of the importance of Forensic Science in the fight against crime.

On his part, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Dhun Ishwar Rampersad, stated that the production of good evidence, scientific or forensic evidence in particular, is determinant to the outcome of any case. He pointed out that Mauritius is now shifting from confession-led to evidence–led investigation with a view to increase detection and to bring better results. This training, he said, will provide the participants with a comprehensive programme of best practices so as to ensure that forensic evidence recovery is maximized.

The training programme consists of four sessions of two days’ duration and will be carried out at the VIPSU Police Training School at Vacoas. Around 20 officers from the Forensic Science Laboratory and some 180 Police Officers from the Criminal Investigation Division, the Scene of Crime Office and the Police Medical Unit will participate in these sessions. The aim is to enhance the skills of the officers so as to enable them to carry out their duties in a more effective and efficient manner.

It has to be recalled that this training programme is the outcome of the meeting which the Prime Minister, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam had with Dr.T.Ramgopal, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Staffordshire in October 2007 in London. The University of Staffordshire is one of the pioneers in the field of Forensic science education and has, over the past decade, established itself as one of the leading providers of Forensic Science in UK.