The Forensic Department of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has been boosted following the commissioning of a brand new state-of-the-art forensic laboratory on Friday, April 27.
The facility is located on the compound of the Tabernacle Police Station and boasts a functional modern design, while the inside is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment that will assist law enforcement in the detection and solving of crime.
The ground floor of the two-storey building features a development laboratory, drying area, enhancement laboratory, receiving area, exhibit room, ballistics laboratory, bulk storage and space for equipping an indoor test firing range. On the top floor, there are offices, server rooms, conference/training room, bathrooms, dormitories, showers, consumable storage and a kitchen.
Clever Solutions Ltd. – a Trinidad-based company – constructed the building and also acquired and installed many of the special equipment that will be used by the police and civilian technicians. These include fingerprint detection capture, forensic lighting, air drying cabinets and many more that will assist with evidence-based enhancement and recovery.
“All of these equipment bear the Foster and Freeman technology and these are the leaders and manufacturers of forensic science equipment,” Clive Bickram of Clever Solutions Ltd shared at the ceremony to mark the commissioning. “Your forensic laboratory is of world-class standard to the necessary ISO (International Organization for Standardization) requirement and we are grateful that this [government] allowed us to be part of this experience.”
Mr. Bickram noted that the construction was carried out by a number of local contractors and he credited them for their professional work and ability to rise to the occasion in achieving the vision for this specialized facility.
The new forensic facility was jointly funded by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Whitegate Development Corporation.