Contact:
Prime Minister's Press Secretary
Thursday, March
30, 2006 - Work has commenced on the construction of a brand new forensic
laboratory for St. Lucia.
The lab is being constructed in the vicinity of the old Female Prison at La Toc,
where site preparation works have already begun.
It will be housed in a building with two floors on 8,000 square feet of space
and will feature modern, state-of-the-art, scientific equipment for forensic
analysis.
The new forensic lab, which will cost some $3.8 million, is intended to improve
the overall forensic capabilities of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force and assist
in the successful prosecution of cases.
It will assist the recently-established Crown Prosecution Service, as it will
provide scientific evidence for successful prosecution of criminals.
The forensic lab will also provide scientific analysis of evidence that will
better help jurors arrive at conclusions.
The Ministry of Justice and the Police Force have already begun a series of
joint training modules for senior Crown and Police Prosecutors, as well as Crime
Scene for Investigators.
The new Forensic Lab is expected to come on stream later this year.
