China agrees to fund new Forensic Sciences Centre

GOVERNMENT has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Government for the construction of a new Forensic Sciences Centre.

The MoU signing was done on Monday between National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and China's ambassador to TT, Fang Qiu. Hinds said construction of the new centre in Mt Hope will stand soon.

The project is fully funded through a donation from the Chinese Government.

While not wanting to say exactly how much money has been donated, Hinds said he is confident this “significant amount of funding by the Government of China,” will see the start and completion of the project.

In 2019, acting director of the Forensic Science Centre Derrick Sankar said the new centre would be six times the size of the current centre in St James.

At that time, then attorney general Faris Al-Rawi, speaking before a special select committee on The Evidence (Amendment) Bill, said MoUs had been approved between TT and India for forensics work, and a similar MoU, was agreed with China.

Hinds said on Monday, “Once completed, this new facility will ensure the increasing demand for forensic science services which include the identification of illicit drugs, firearm examination, identification of explosive residue, handwriting comparisons, detection of alteration of documents, and forensic pathology services will be adequately met.

While he couldn’t say exactly when the construction of this project will begin, Hinds assured work will start as soon as possible.

“This project will greatly aid in this nation's response to crime and criminality, applying as we have been doing for many years improved facility, techniques in the sciences used in the detection of crimes.”

The existing Forensic Science Centre at Long Circular St James was commissioned in 1983. It holds 94 staff members including a new department that makes up specialised police officers in forensic ballistics.

Hinds said the crime situation demands that his ministry do more.