Latest update January 20th, 2025 4:00 AM
GFSL official logo selected…Forensic laboratory for July commissioning
The Ministry of Home Affairs is aiming to officially commission the Guyana Forensic Science
The wining logo
Laboratory (GFSL) come the first week in July. “Everything else is in place” but the Ministry is awaiting Western Scientific to finalize some “details” on the lab.
Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, told the media yesterday after he handed over an award to the winner of the Forensic Lab logo design competition, Keith Bernard, that the staff is ready and waiting.
Rohee added that all the necessary equipment is in place, but the “experts” from the Trinidad Company, Western Scientific, have to come and do the “necessaries”.
The Minister said that there were some unforeseen circumstances that delayed the arrival of the experts but noted that everything has been put in place now. These experts will be in Guyana by Monday.
According to Rohee, he couldn’t risk commissioning the lab before because he wants to make sure everything is in place as “the media don’t miss a thing.”
Logo competition
After being reviewed by a panel of judges which included individuals from the University of Guyana (UG), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Guyana National Bureau of Standards and members of the private sector, Bernard’s design was selected as the best as it reflected the purpose of the lab.
Bernard’s logo comprises a magnifying glass which represents the beginning of forensic work in the olden days. The handle of the magnifying glass is designed to look like a DNA strand and under the glass there is a fingerprint.
The Minister congratulated Bernard and said that with this the Ministry moves a step closer to commissioning the laboratory.
Bernard, who is a professional graphic artist, told the media that he tried to be creative, taking ideas from the past to create something different that would reflect the true meaning of forensic science.
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee handing over the prize to Keith Bernard. To the Minister’s right is Director of the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory, Delon France.
Director of the GFSL, Delon France, during the closing remarks at the ceremony expressed his gratitude to the Minister for the undertaking which he said will take crime fighting to a different level.
GFSL is Guyana’s first state of the art forensic laboratory.
The laboratory, located in the University of Guyana compound, Turkeyen, was launched under the Citizen Security Programme (CSP), which was initiated by the government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
It is expected to greatly enhance the Guyana Police Force’s investigative capabilities.
Last October, Cabinet cleared a contract worth $49.79M for the supply and delivery of small apparatus for the forensic science laboratory.
But, while the facility will be the most modern and sophisticated laboratory in Guyana, there will be no DNA testing facilities just yet. (Abena Rockcliffe)
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