THE Guyana Police Force (GPF), in collaboration with the French Embassy for Suriname and Guyana in Paramaribo, started a training programme yesterday, for technical and scientific ranks.

Declared open by Assistant Commissioner Winston Cosbert, at the Police Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary, Georgetown, it is intended to significantly improve the capabilities of investigators.
Cosbert challenged the 20 participants, constables and corporals drawn from all the Police Divisions, to absorb as much as possible from the sessions and apply the knowledge to their job.
He also urged them to ensure they take full opportunity of the training from which their skills will be enhanced, as it relates to crime scene preservation, right packaging, sealing and labelling of exhibits gathered at crime scenes.
Cosbert, the Deputy Crime Chief, added that those things must be correctly done in an effort to make a proper court presentation of exhibits taken from crime scenes and to preserve their integrity, as well.
He admitted that, in Guyana, there are many challenges at crime scenes and their training is specially geared to enlighten ranks to best practices used by their law enforcement counterparts overseas.

Overseas facilitators
Speaking on behalf of the two overseas facilitators, Police Attaché at the French Embassy in Suriname, Mr. Jean Yves Le Clech said, in 2011, he conducted a similar course for the GPF and, with this one, the local police will be able to get fingerprints and evidence/proof from scenes that a certain suspect has committed a crime.
He said evidence is collected to prosecute a perpetrator and encouraged the participants to constantly develop themselves for job application in technical and scientific police investigation.
Le Clech, who spoke through and interpreter, stated that, in the near future, the GPF will be able to do DNA testing locally but this programme is a plus for the local police.
He told the gathering that the two facilitators have conducted similar courses in the Caribbean and they are a part of the French Interdepartmental Anti-Drug Training Centre (CIFAD).