India’s crime expert to help Guyana establish forensic school – Ali

…to also operationalise national forensic lab

The Government will be bringing an expert, the former head of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in India, to Guyana to aid in the establishment of a forensic school in Guyana, as well as helping to operationalise the existing forensic lab.

President Dr Irfaan Ali revealed on Tuesday that an Indian expert is being brought to Guyana to help establish a forensic school. While addressing the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Christmas breakfast on Tuesday. President Ali said that an agreement has been inked to bring a former head of India’s CBI.
“Today, we’re investing in a state of the art, world class police academy, that will be linked to some of the finest institutions internationally. An academy that will be training the best in the region.”
“We’ve just concluded an agreement to have not just an expert, the former head of the Criminal Bureau of Investigations, in India. The former head is to be leading our effort in the establishment of a forensic school and fully operationalise the forensic lab in Guyana, to serve all the region.”

According to the President, the PPP/C Government remains committed to supporting the GPF in building its capacity. According to the Head of State, both financial, infrastructure and human capital investments are needed.
“There are some key issues that we have to and must address. And those issues we will address with the right balance of resources. Because they can only be addressed if we have not only the financial investment, or the infrastructure investment, but the investment of our human capital to match the physical changes and what is required of the economy, to take us forward.”
The President also spoke of the responsibility that lies on the shoulders of the police. As a matter of fact, President Ali recommended a merit system be set up in the police force, to incentivise greater care for police facilities.
“What I want to ask you as officers now and I’ve asked the commissioner, is to have a merit system to hold officers accountable to these facilities.

Because when you’re stationed as an officer in charge, you’re also responsible for the assets of that facility. And you should take pride for the assets in that facility. And part of performance evaluation must be how we upkeep those facilities,” President Ali added.
Only recently, the Government announced a partnership with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) of India. This partnership is aimed at training and equipping officers with advanced investigative techniques, forensic science, cyber-security, and forensic psychology. The partnership was formalised during a meeting between President Ali and key representatives from NFSU and the Indian Government.
The delegation included Dean of the School of Behavioral Forensics at NFSU, Professor Asha Srivastava; Dr Vishal Parmar of NFSU, and High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr Amit Telang, Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken and Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency, Colonel Sheldon Howell also attended the meeting.
Through this collaboration, GPF officers will undergo training in cutting-edge techniques across forensic science, cyber-security, and forensic psychology—fields increasingly important for modern law enforcement.
Additionally, Guyana’s Police Academy will serve as the hub for delivering these training programmes, and opportunities will be extended to regional police services, fostering greater collaboration within the Caribbean.
Another significant aspect of this partnership is the operationalisation and management of Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL). (G3)