Crime scene and physical evidence awareness training ... · Prepared by Magali Bernard Crime scene...
Transcript of Crime scene and physical evidence awareness training ... · Prepared by Magali Bernard Crime scene...
Prepared by Magali Bernard
Crime scene and physical evidence awareness training delivered to police
officers in Western Africa Vienna, 25 September 2009
35 police officers from The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone participated in a crime scene and
physical evidence awareness course hosted by the Nigeria Police (National Central Bureau) in Lagos from 8 to
11 September 2009.
The course was opened by Mr. Israel Ajao, Head, Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department. In his
opening address, he emphasized the importance of first actions at crime scenes to ensure successful
investigations and the need for the establishment of specialized crime scene investigation units.
INTERPOL and the UNODC, through its Laboratory and Scientific Section, jointly organized and delivered this
pilot course sponsored by the INTERPOL Operational Assistance, Services and Infrastructure Support to African
Police Forces (OASIS) Programme. The course delivery format included lectures, case studies and some
practical sessions.
Based on the end of the course evaluation, the participants demonstrated an increase in their knowledge of
good practices in crime scene investigations and the nature and relevance of physical evidence and felt better
prepared to respond to the challenges of their daily work.
The course delivered is based on a forensic awareness and crime scene investigations training programme
being developed by the UNODC. Its development included expert group meetings and contributions of a
number of individual experts and international organizations, namely the International Association for
Identification (IAI), INTERPOL, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the
International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC).
The training in Nigeria will be followed by a second course in Côte d’Ivoire from 5 to 8 October 2009, which will
target French speaking countries from the region.
Prepared by Magali Bernard