THE Government of Guyana has to honour its outstanding payment of US$32,524 to Barbados firm, IED Security, before works on the billion-dollar forensic science laboratory are completed.Cabinet Secretary and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, told a post cabinet media briefing Friday that cabinet has approved the payment and within a month’s time, it is expected that the lab will be fully functional. Minister Harmon admitted that “the lab is not functioning” and that the technical and electrical issues will be fixed by the company once they are paid.

“Therefore we have to pay them that money and then they come and do what they have to do and complete the training, and complete the electrical installation and things like that. So this is the step where we are at and we believe that once this payment is made, within a month or so, this is the impression I got from the Minister of Public Security, that the lab should be up and running and there are several things which the lab has to do; it has to look at DNA… the analysis of evidence collected from crime scenes and so on. So this is very important in our fight against crime,” Minister Harmon told reporters.

The Barbados firm is responsible for installing security systems at the lab, by way of a contract signed in 2012, and providing additional consultation in 2013 during phase one of the project.

Once the money is paid by the Guyana government, the firm will complete its work on the lab along with completing the training of persons who are going to operate it. At this point in time however, Minister Harmon could not say whether any tests are being carried out at the lab, which is located at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

In April 2011, the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government signed a contract valued $450M with Courtney Benn Contracting Services for the construction of the lab. The project is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank, in partnership with the Guyana Government, and is expected to greatly enhance the investigative capabilities of the Guyana Police Force.

The Ministry of Public Security is building the capacity of the forensic laboratory so that in the long run, the facility can provide DNA and gun residue testing, which are internationally recognised. This capacity training is being developed through the Ministry’s Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP).