Mumbai: 100 cops selected to become crime scene experts

The first batch of cops being trained at Kalina Pic CourtesyFSL KalinaIn the next few months there will be 100 cops across police stations in the state who can double up as crime scene experts The cops handpicked from among thousands are being specially trained on how to collect and preserve crucial material that will help nail culprits instead of waiting for forensic experts to arrive on the sceneThe concept is the brainchild of SP Yadav state director general of police legal and technical who wants the state police to understand and learn to expertly preserve crime scenes which in turn will improve conviction ratesKV Kulkarni director Forensic Science Laboratory Kalina saidWe have selected only those policemen who are graduates or post graduates in science biologyphysicschemistry They are divided into four batches for the 20day residential trainingYadav saidThe cops will be trained in handling crime scene evidence which is crucial During the threeweek course the group will also get firsthand work experience at the Forensic Science Laboratory KalinaThe training for the first batch started on June 28 and will end on July 17 This batch of 25 policemen is being trained on how to use 18 different types of kits that are part of mobile forensic vehicles Fortyfive of these vehicles were recently given to police units across the state for faster mobilisation and quick collection of crime scene evidenceKulkarni saidWhen asked about the nature of training he saidWe are training them in collection of blood and semen useful in case of drunk driving and sexual assault cases ballistic training to collect carbon residue and search for bullet remains from the scene of the crime where firearms have been used collection of fingerprints useful in case of theftrobberydacoity explosives detection and collection of evidence Most of the kits other than detection of meat cowbuffalo are available in the forensic van We are training them in meat detection tooA senior forensic scientist saidAn amount of Rs 60 lakh has already been sanctioned by the state for this training programmeAnother forensic expert saidUsually when a crime occurs the local police are the first to reach the spot and collect everything they think is important But they mostly do not know how to preserve the evidence properly hampering the prosecutions case in a big wayAnother reason for the training is that at present the state FSL doesnt have manpower to operate the 45 mobile forensic support unitsApart from inhouse experts from biology chemistry ballistic fingerprints division the FSL has also invited many guest lecturers who are either from the police force or forensic experts including postmortem expertsDr Shailesh Mohite professor and head of the forensic department welcomed the move sayingTraining the policemen will help in preservation of the crime scene as they are the first to reach the spot Correctly gathering and preserving crucial evidence will only help prove the case in courtRs 60 lakh Cost of the training programme25 No of cops in each batch