Guyana strengthens local forensic testing capacity

Guyana is strengthening its ability to conduct forensic toxicology testing locally, with specialized training underway to improve the scientific support for criminal investigations.

Personnel from the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory are participating in a four-week training programme in collaboration with the National Forensic Sciences University of India.

The programme builds on toxicology testing already being conducted in Guyana. The aim is to expand what can be done locally, reduce the need to send samples overseas and, importantly, shorten the time investigators must wait for results.

Forensic toxicology can help determine whether drugs, alcohol, poisons or other substances are connected to a crime or death. Timely results can therefore be critical to determining what happened, identifying evidence and moving an investigation forward.

Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond said strengthening local expertise is ultimately about improving the delivery of justice.

“Behind every forensic result is an investigation, and often a victim or family waiting for answers. The longer investigators wait for critical evidence, the longer a case can take to move forward.

“We are building the expertise here in Guyana so that more testing can be done locally and results can be available sooner. That means stronger investigations, better evidence before the courts and a justice system better equipped to deliver timely outcomes.”

The programme also brings police investigators and laboratory personnel together, strengthening how evidence is collected, preserved, analysed and used during an investigation.

Nine participants, three from the Guyana Police Force and six from the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory, are undertaking the training.

The investment forms part of the Government’s wider effort to strengthen Guyana’s forensic capabilities and ensure that criminal investigations are increasingly supported by timely, reliable scientific evidence. (Ministry of Home Affairs)