Public Service Day 2019 - Police embracing new technology for better service delivery |26 June 2019

Scientific Support is one of many different units in the Police Department, playing its fair share to help the organisation meet its goals and objectives,and through an effective and professional service satisfy the expectations of the general public. This unit took some time to move away from the manual way of doing things to embracing digital technology and the transformation in service delivery has been very visible. The unit has not only been building its capacity in terms of equipment but has also been providing training for its officers both locally and internationally to further meet the organisation’s goals and public expectations.

The unit launched its long awaited Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) at the Scientific Support and Crime Record Bureau (Fingerprint building) based at Mont Fleuri in 2013. This facility was a joint venture between the European Union, Interpol and the Seychelles Government. Since then, AFIS has kept up to its expectations and with faster and improved efficiency in print analysis which is crucial to crime detection, this has resulted in a higher success rate in prosecution and court convictions.

Other areas where modern technology is playing a significant role in achieving better service delivery is the electronic and digital data extraction in investigation of cases. With recent acquisition of equipment and introduction of such

facility, this has improved the retrieval of valuable evidence for prosecution of cases resulting in effective prosecution and convictions for serious cases such as murder, drug trafficking and importation, and fraudulent activities.

With a solid foundation for the ongoing transition to a true model of scientific investigation, where scientific excellence and quality is a focal point of service delivery compared to the past, this unit is currently also extending its character certificate service to overseas clients requesting such service electronically. These requests are now being processed in 24 hours instead of clients having to wait for 2 to 3 days.

While recently acquired and already installed facilities for toxicology tests and analysis will soon prove its immeasurable worth in enhancing the quality of investigation further, the most eagerly awaiting project is no doubt the DNA Laboratory, which is in its conception phase.

Having to attend to crime scenes all over Seychelles and then processing and analysing them at the main headquarters, it is being envisaged that in the future some of those services could be available in other regions, thus bringing them closer to the community. With its focus on integrating science and technology and aligning service to a more contemporary and performance based framework, this unit and the Seychelles Police is set for greater success in meeting public expectations.

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