Police lack modern equipment to probe suicide attacks

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Sources say investigators have no mobile forensic labs to preserve crime scenes g Have to undergo a lengthy process for DNA tests
* Sniffer dogs and staff need training

By Imran Asghar
RAWALPINDI: Police investigators, probing heinous crimes such as suicide bombings, target killings and kidnappings for ransom, are facing problems due to lack of modern equipment and system.

Police sources told Daily Times on Sunday that the investigators did not have modern apparatus, which increased effectiveness in investigation of terrorism cases.

“Due to lack of modern equipment and system, investigators are compelled to rely on old traditional investigation techniques, which is why they were unable to produce satisfactory results,” they said.

They said the investigators had not the ‘kits’ required to properly preserve crime scene, which forms base for any investigation.

They said taking photos and making drawings of crime scenes were not enough for a conclusive investigation.

“The police teams assigned to collect evidence from crime scene, are not well-trained and their weaknesses caused delay in investigations,” they said.

They said the police had expertise in probing routine crimes like robbery, purse snatching, vehicle theft, mugging, burglary and murder etc but they lacked training and equipment to probe heinous crimes such as suicide bombings and target killings.

They said the police investigators did not have proper ‘mobile forensic labs’, which were essential in preserving crime scene and collecting evidence.

They said the police had developed forensic labs but they were not fully equipped. They said the labs did not have facilities for DNA test and the system to check identity of suspects.

“The investigators have to access CMH for DNA tests. Verification of identity of suspects takes a long time as it entails a lengthy process evolving many army officers.

Sometimes the investigators fail to go through this intricate process. Had the police department had its own labs, the process would have been short and more productive,” they said.

They said the investigators did not have permanent mortuary, where they could preserve body parts of suspected suicide bombers, collected from the crime scene.

They said the investigators needed signatures of many medical and army officers for preservation of these parts.

They said the investigators had been trained to assist surgeons in piecing together face of the suicide bomber but they could not reach the minds behind suicide attacks unless they had the equipment to preserve the crime scene.

“Sniffer dogs are also not well-trained to smell out track of the suicide bomber from his hideout to the blast scene,” they said. They said properly trained sniffer dogs could be very beneficial in post suicide bombing investigations.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg11_1