By DOREEN NAWA
THE Zambia Police has trained sixty officers in the child forensic interview and DNA analysis.
And a Police Forensic Laboratory will be opened in Lusaka to process DNA and other evidence to identify perpetrators of these crimes and improve prosecution.
Speaking when he officiated at a graduation of 60 police officers, Home affairs permanent secretary Maxwell Nkole said the 60 officers will serve as a launch pad towards the setting up of the first ever police forensic lab in the history of Zambia.
“We are aware of the fact that perpetrators of these crimes have for long time gone scout free due to insufficient or in some cases lack of forensic evidence,” Mr Nkole said.
The sixty which included police prosecutors, crime scene investigators and victim support unit officers graduated at the Lilayi Police Training College on Thursday.
And in a statement yesterday, Regional Security Officer for the U.S. Embassy Kory Hammond said preventing and prosecuting child sexual abuse and gender-based violence is a shared goal of the Zambian and US governments and is part of the response to prevent HIV.
“Law enforcement is a service profession and graduates of this course have a responsibility to protect the weakest and most vulnerable members of society,” said Mr Hammond.
Mr Hammond also disclosed that 6 trainers from the U.S. state of California conducted the training.
The training is supported by the US through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the ministry of Home Affairs.
He said the main objective of the training was to strengthen the ability of the police and justice system to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators who defile children and commit gender-based violent crimes.
Despite reports of child sexual abuse increasing, the rate of successful prosecution of these cases is low.
Mr Hammond said ‘One-Stop Centres’ for Gender-Based violence are being opened around the country.
Meanwhile Mr Hammond said three laboratory specialists from Zambia are currently being trained in Utah, United States to perform forensic laboratory examinations at Sorenson Forensics.
Sorenson Forensics will assist in setting up the lab and training staff on the ground.
“There is a backlog of cases where evidence has been collected but not tested, including semen specimens collected from defiled children that can conclusively identify the perpetrator,” Mr Hammond said.
Mr Hammond said police prosecutors, police and medical personnel also traveled to California in June this year to learn best practices in interviewing children, investigating crime scenes, and medical-legal examination of victims.
“This is part of a Public Private Partnership exchange programme supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the University Teaching Hospital and the Georgian Foundation, a non-profit organization,” Mr Hammond said.
THE Zambia Police has trained sixty officers in the child forensic interview and DNA analysis.
And a Police Forensic Laboratory will be opened in Lusaka to process DNA and other evidence to identify perpetrators of these crimes and improve prosecution.
Speaking when he officiated at a graduation of 60 police officers, Home affairs permanent secretary Maxwell Nkole said the 60 officers will serve as a launch pad towards the setting up of the first ever police forensic lab in the history of Zambia.
“We are aware of the fact that perpetrators of these crimes have for long time gone scout free due to insufficient or in some cases lack of forensic evidence,” Mr Nkole said.
The sixty which included police prosecutors, crime scene investigators and victim support unit officers graduated at the Lilayi Police Training College on Thursday.
And in a statement yesterday, Regional Security Officer for the U.S. Embassy Kory Hammond said preventing and prosecuting child sexual abuse and gender-based violence is a shared goal of the Zambian and US governments and is part of the response to prevent HIV.
“Law enforcement is a service profession and graduates of this course have a responsibility to protect the weakest and most vulnerable members of society,” said Mr Hammond.
Mr Hammond also disclosed that 6 trainers from the U.S. state of California conducted the training.
The training is supported by the US through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the ministry of Home Affairs.
He said the main objective of the training was to strengthen the ability of the police and justice system to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators who defile children and commit gender-based violent crimes.
Despite reports of child sexual abuse increasing, the rate of successful prosecution of these cases is low.
Mr Hammond said ‘One-Stop Centres’ for Gender-Based violence are being opened around the country.
Meanwhile Mr Hammond said three laboratory specialists from Zambia are currently being trained in Utah, United States to perform forensic laboratory examinations at Sorenson Forensics.
Sorenson Forensics will assist in setting up the lab and training staff on the ground.
“There is a backlog of cases where evidence has been collected but not tested, including semen specimens collected from defiled children that can conclusively identify the perpetrator,” Mr Hammond said.
Mr Hammond said police prosecutors, police and medical personnel also traveled to California in June this year to learn best practices in interviewing children, investigating crime scenes, and medical-legal examination of victims.
“This is part of a Public Private Partnership exchange programme supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the University Teaching Hospital and the Georgian Foundation, a non-profit organization,” Mr Hammond said.
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