“Crime and criminals are advancing” – Crime Laboratory officer

…more upgraded resources needed to get ahead of criminals

Assistant Police Superintendent Ray Marcurius, the officer-in-charge of the Crime Laboratory, has made a call to victims of crimes and the general public to not tamper with crime scenes.

Noting there is a greater need for more up-to-date resources and equipment to aid in bringing criminals to justice, Marcurius made the call during the Guyana Police Force’s weekly Police & You programme, and cautioned that the tampering of a crime scene reduces the chances of the investigators catching the perpetrator of a crime.
“At the end of the day, you want justice and you want that particular perpetrator to be caught, to be put behind bars. And this is not just for you. When you damage that scene and make it difficult for us to get evidence, it increases the chances of that person getting away with that crime. And tomorrow he’s gonna go at somebody else’s door and he’s gonna continue until…been caught. So, as part of your duty to get justice for yourself, and as part of (efforts) to help prevent others from suffering the same fate, you gotta focus and you gotta do the right thing. Secure the area and get the experts there, and they’re gonna process that scene so that we can (be) able to identify the perpetrator,” Marcurius advised.

Upgrade
In addition, he pointed out that there is need for an upgrade in the crime laboratory’s resources and equipment, in order to obtain more accurate data. To this end, he noted that crime and criminals are advancing, and criminals are seeking new ways to get away with crimes; hence, the Police Force is working overtime to keep up.
“Well, the thing about our crime scene investigation is that it’s based around science, and, as you know, science is ever evolving and there’s a lot of different new technology out there, and we’re seeking to acquire a lot more… For instance, we’re looking at some new equipment to automate some aspects of our ballistics and ballistics testing. We already have automated systems in the Fingerprint Department. We’re trying to move those areas ahead. And there are a lot of different new technology out there in terms of the fingerprinting… the old way of doing – of getting fingerprints is by dusting. There’re now new infrared systems that could able to detect fingerprint much more effectively.”
Marcurius pointed out that criminals are reading and using the internet to become craftier in getting away with criminal acts, therefore the Guyana Police Force has also to up its game in bringing criminals to justice.