Lewin

The Jamaica Constabulary Force's (JCF) forensic capabilities were enhanced on Tuesday with the graduation of some 58 policemen and women from a Forensic Crime Scene Investigator's Course.

The recruits will be a major boost to the JCF as there has been a call for an improvement in the forensic abilities of the force and the general handling of crime scenes by both the public and human rights groups.

Commissioner of Police, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, hailed the success of the rank and file members of the force and highlighted their impending importance to the criminal justice system.

"Your actions or your failure to act all carry consequences for someone, a victim who is hurting because of an omission on your part or your action can be such that it brings some sense of closure to the loss of a loved one," he said at the ceremony which was held at the Police Officers Club on Hope Road, in St. Andrew.

"Those consequences that flow from your acts or your omission influence the whole criminal justice system," he added.

The commissioner also encouraged the graduates to display the right attitude to be disciplined and accountable in the work they would carry out in their new role.

100 per cent passes

The course, which lasted nine months, put the police members drawn from all over the island through rigorous academic and technical procedures involved with the forensic sciences and the processing of crime scenes. Apart from being the first members to graduate with such a distinction, the group also displayed outstanding performance in achieving 100 per cent passes, as the same number that started the course finished the course.

Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of crime Mark Shields also praised the members of the team and said that their accomplishment was another step in transforming the force into a first-rate police service.

Public Defender Earl Witter weighed in by telling the group that their work would be scrutinised and evaluated by a demanding public.