Ramjattan blames “nature of things in Guyana” for incomplete Forensic Lab

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has cast blame on the “nature of things in Guyana” for the incomplete Forensic Laboratory when questioned by media operatives at a press conference on Friday.
He said, “The nature of things as they evolve in Guyana means that which was planned about 10 years ago might not be able to be done now”.
The Minister even bashed the bad design of the building for its dysfunction while listing some of the faulty aspects of the building.
According to him, “Because of a number of things that were badly designed had to be completely rehabilitated, the sections dealing with the testing equipment, the integrity for the testing equipment and a number of air conditioning units placed in places where the temperature will be standardised and stable apparently the

design was bad”.
He nevertheless reported that the Ministry has been able to rectify those faults and is now seeking to have the facility up and running by year end, although he had anticipated a July 2018 completion.
Ramjattan shared that his ultimate goal is to have deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests conducted at the facility, which is also likely, as funds have been already secured by the International Development Bank (IDB) for this aspect.
In fact, the Minister revealed that the equipment will be soon sourced and arrive shortly to facilitate these tests. He also noted that personnel have already been trained in this area.
The Public Security Ministry has come under severe criticism as many promises have not been kept in relation to the laboratory.
Guyana’s first Forensic Laboratory opened back in July 2014, but the lack of DNA testing at that facility continues to provide a challenge to the solving of many high-profile murder cases.
Presently, the forensic laboratory is equipped to conduct testing, inclusive of tests

for fake currency, forged documents, narcotics, and ballistics.
The Minister told reporters that he was hoping for the facility to be ready since 2017 and had again given all assurances that DNA testing would be conducted at the facility sometime in 2018.
“I had really wanted it before the end of this year, but it doesn’t seem that that will happen, because the air ventilation and the air conditioning unit to ensure the proper preservation and no disintegration, and the proper temperature of the samples, were not put in place,” Ramjattan asserted.
He added that the American Embassy is supporting the move to have DNA testing being done here, which comes under the second component of the Public Security Ministry’s Citizen Security Strengthening Programme for improving the Guyana Police Force’s Forensic Laboratory’s effectiveness in preventing and conducting crime investigations.