Interpol – NCIS Crime Scene Investigation Training Local police officers boost knowledge in crime scene investigation |03 May 2022
ComPol Barbé and instructors in a souvenir photo with local officers who followed the training (Photo: Joena Meme)
Crime scene investigation is of paramount importance in the investigation process as it sets the scene in which the investigator will concentrate his or her effort from the very beginning, commissioner of police Ted Barbé had said.
He was a dressing a group of 18 police officers who have just completed a one-week training in crime scene investigation led by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), with the assistance of the National Crime Investigative Services (NCIS) under Project Compass.
The project is mainly aimed at improving investigations of maritime-based crimes in the East and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean regions, focussing on the Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and Tanzania.
Its main objectives are to improve crime scene preservation and management capabilities, inter-agency cooperation between the first responders, investigators, and justice sector officials in complex, maritime-based crime cases, as well as regional and international cooperation.
In the presence of criminal intelligence officer within the Interpol Ervin Prenci who was the training leader, Irina Koulachenko who is the Interpol Compass Project manager, course leaders and senior officers of the police force, commissioner of police Barbé thanked the Interpol and affiliates for the continued support that they extend to the Seychelles police force which he said is indebted to the organisation for investing in the area of training and development of the force.
“Since a crime scene generally has the most number of clues which will assist the investigating officer to crack the case, it is of utmost importance that local police officers are well versed in the art of processing the scene,” Mr Barbé said.
He went on to remind the officers that the newly-learned techniques and concepts all form part of the bigger package of crime scene management.
On behalf of his colleagues, corporal Daniel Bastilde thanked the Interpol and the NCIS instructors for the training.
He expressed gratitude towards the approach of instructors in sharing some aspects of their expertise, even if he admitted that he and his colleagues still have a long way to go, in terms of skills and experiences in the related field.
“The newly-acquired skills and knowledge have instilled in us more confidence which will boost our performance when dealing with future crime scenes,” said corporal Bastilde.
Roland Duval