Video evidence helps build cases for successful prosecution

Jan 03, 2018 News

– Justice Education Society

The ability of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to extract, analyse and present forensic video evidence has helped build cases, in particular high-profile cases for successful prosecution.
This is according to the Justice Education Society (JES), a Canadian non-profit, public legal education organisation which commenced works in Guyana in 2015. Its mission is to build strong communities by promoting the understanding of, access to, and confidence in justice systems both in Canada and internationally.
JES has trained several police ranks, magistrates and public prosecutors in forensic video analysis (FVA).
In a report on Impacts of Strengthening the Guyanese Criminal Justice System Project, JES which outlined the outcome of several projects undertaken, reported that the Guyana Police Force is moving by “leaps and bounds” to use video evidence in crime fighting.
Police Sergeant Detective Junior Blair has benefitted from the training.
When testifying in court, Sergeant Blair would give a detailed explanation of CCTV footage using PowerPoint slides. Sergeant Blair sees the demand for video analysis as businesses use CCTV cameras and citizens record videos on their mobile phones.
He believes that in the future more resources will be required to deal with this demand. The rank is happy to play his role in crime fighting. He told JES that it is “pleasing to know that you actually played that role and that you are doing this…together. That, by itself, brings satisfaction.”
Former Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent of Police Wendell Blanhum told JES, “We are using technology. What is more impressive is that this training was delivered to us, recently, and already we have been implementing the training.”
Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, who is on leave, agrees that video evidence will play an important role in boosting the public confidence in the police force.
He emphasised, “It eliminates doubts in police process and how they come up with evidence to charge people. This helped to remove a lot of those doubts.”
In the report, JES pointed out that video evidence extends beyond positive identification of perpetrators and securing convictions.

Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud

Former Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent of Police Wendell Blanhum

According to JES, “For the magistrates, forensic video has high demonstrative value and aids in objective reconstruction of events under consideration.”
Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool, who sits at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, disclosed to JES, “Video evidence is the best evidence. Its purpose is not just to identify perpetrators but it can be used to help the courts in understanding how an incident happened, or the layout of the crime scene.
“It can help (the court) in identifying the persons who were present, who might be in court giving evidence and testifying to the fact that they were present and observed an incident.”
Magistrate Liverpool continued, “Video evidence will allow the public to be more confident in the courts’ decision because it would be understood that the decision would have been arrived at because of video evidence—unbiased, neutral evidence—and not the courts’ ability to assess a witness’ viva voce evidence.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, had reported to JES that businesses have been installing CCTV cameras “because they recognise, too, that that is a deterrent or it can assist the police after the commission of a crime.”
Before JES, the GPF collected video evidence but did not have the necessary technology or the right level of skill to analyse it, the report stated.
Michael Hicks, a retired judge of the Provincial Court of British Colombia said that video cameras are “dispassionate; never subject to stress; silent, constant and unbiased. They…may be the best evidence of identity.”
Hicks has been working with JES in Guyana.

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