Forensic Police boss seeks decentralisation of services at regional commands

“One of the key tools we are looking at today is a rapid DNA analysis solution, and we are trying to see how best we can utilise this capability, especially when we are fighting incidents involving sexual and gender-based violence,” he said.

Mubiru, who was among participants from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zanzibar and Uganda, including NFSU students, appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Government to equip the 186 regional policing commands with the necessary tools and take services closer to communities.

Since the institution was undertaking the subcounty or division community policing approach in consultation with President Yoweri Museveni, Mubiru said having more tools in the hands of frontline officers would put them in a better position to guide their personnel.

Mubiru said that, at times, police were unable to bring certain formal charges against suspects who remained on remand while evidence was being gathered because of the challenges of not having the right tools closer to frontline officers.

“If a suspect is arrested in Masaka, Mbarara or as far as Kisoro, we take a DNA sample, put it on a rapid system and within 90 minutes, they can get a DNA profile, submit it to the database, and can quickly identify and conclude the person behind the crime and bring them to book for prosecution rather than spending more resources in jail while consuming public resources during remand without charge sheets,” he said.

The NFSU Jinja campus director, Air Commodore Kedar Thaakar, said this was their first DNA workshop organised for government experts and expressed confidence that it had equipped participants with knowledge they could use to advocate for improved forensic services in their respective countries. (Credit: Jackie Nambogga)

Like other countries, Mubiru said the technology remained important, with its primary role being to identify possible offenders whose DNA profiles could later be relied upon in courts of law, particularly in criminal matters.

He said that in many incidents, offences were committed without credible eyewitnesses, forcing investigators to rely on scientific techniques such as DNA analysis. This involves examining residual substances at crime scenes to establish who may have left them in cases such as rape, murder and defilement.

He said such residuals could include blood, saliva and sweat, which can help link suspects to offences for possible prosecution.

Meanwhile, Suleiman Masoud Suleiman, a DNA analyst from the Government Chemistry Laboratory Agency in Zanzibar, said the training was timely as the region prepared for heavy rains characterised by landslides and disastrous floods, which can result in people being swept away and killed.

He said that in such mass disasters, bodies can be destroyed beyond recognition, but the latest technology could be used to speed up DNA identification.

Prof. Dr Satisu Kumar, the dean of NFSU and director of the NFSU Gopal campus in India, said the process allows forensic experts to conduct tests on teeth and bones because bodies decompose quickly, in addition to the problems caused by decomposition.

“On the first day, the body looks fresh, but as time passes, due to temperatures and micro-organisms, it starts decomposing, smelling, and tissues are no longer intact. We may not get forensic samples in that case; the best with the rapid DNA solution is on teeth and bones,” Kumar, who was the chief guest, said.

The NFSU Jinja campus director, Air Commodore Kedar Thaakar, said this was their first DNA workshop organised for government experts and expressed confidence that it had equipped participants with knowledge they could use to advocate for improved forensic services in their respective countries.