Police gets support from UNICEF, other partners to improve forensic skills

Jul 19, 2020 News

The University of Guyana (UG), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and Blossom Inc. on Friday, July 17, 2020, launched a partnership that will see artists being trained to improve their forensic skills to assist in the investigation process and facilitate access to justice.
The programme is getting major support from the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNICEF Director Slyvie Fouet

The training will encompass techniques used by law enforcement for identification, apprehension or conviction purposes, is a key component of the response to violence against children in Guyana.
The collaboration will focus on ensuring that there is a consistent skill set to engage with the GPF and other agencies that work on the frontlines of child protection violations.
According to UNICEF Country Representative Sylvie Fouet, the “Partnerships remain critical to both preventing and responding to all forms of violence, exploitation and abuse.
She noted that while Guyana has made strides to address these violations through actions at policy, institutional, community and service delivery levels, there is still significant work to be done to ensure that every child is protected and have access to transformative justice.
“Particularly, for sexual abuse and related cases where children are removed from their primary caregivers,” Fouet says “there remains a need to ensure that a medium exists to aid in investigation and reporting of the cases.”
Through the partnership, UG will play a critical role in the provision of forensic artists to the GPF, which will aid with their investigations, particularly in cases relating to children and adolescents.
Expertise that can be provided by forensic artists include composite drawing will help investigators generate leads based on physical descriptions for example; image modification which is used to change and enhance a photograph in order to help an investigator and/or trial attorney; image identification is the recording of a person’s distinguishing features for future reference; crime scene sketching helps support the information shown in photographs of the scene; and demonstrative evidence when any visible, physical evidence is recorded in legal proceedings.
Ayodele Dalgety-Dean, Director of Blossom Inc. noted that the training is welcomed since there are plans to support the development of a specialized course of forensic art.
She noted that Blossom Inc., the CPA, and the GPF will continue to work in tandem to support the investigation process, especially where crimes of violence are committed against children and adolescents.
This work complements ongoing investments in specialized Courts for Sexual Offences and Family matters, Child Advocacy Centres, graduate and undergraduate programs in Psychology and Social Work, the Venezuelan migration response and training in the GPF, all of which are actively supported by UNICEF.

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