The vital role of local forensic scientists
The vital role of local forensic scientists
JAKARTA (JP): Police surgeons and forensic pathologists have
earned a remarkable reputation for the crucial role they play in
helping detectives solve crimes in the capital.
Although the jobs are almost as old as the force itself, these
officers' skills were rarely utilized in analyzing evidence and
clues in criminal cases up to the middle of last year.
"Only a few people know who and what we are although we
already have most of the world's sophisticated forensic tools,"
said a senior officer of the National Police's Forensic
Laboratory Center here last year.
Today, the police surgeons and pathologists are always called
upon to assist police officers at crime scenes in almost every
major case, including homicides, fires, rapes, robberies,
shootings, traffic accidents and drug-related cases.
The new policy was initiated by the Jakarta police last year
under the leadership of chief May. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, who is now
a four-star general and chief of the Indonesian National Police
Force.
Along with the maximal use of the services of police surgeons
and pathologists, the Jakarta Police Force has also set up a new
unit, called the Quick Response Unit, a team of specially trained
officers.
The team, expected to be the first officers to arrive at
scenes of crimes, is assigned to ensure the security of the site
and to prepare for the arrival of the police surgeons.
Together, they examine, collect and list as much evidence as
possible and report their preliminary findings to the senior
police detectives at the scene.
Any bodies found are rushed to the state Cipto Mangunkusumo
General Hospital for post-mortem examinations by hospital
pathologists.
Detailed reports on certain material evidence, such as
fingerprints, post-mortem results, blood types, hair, bullets,
fluid, are handed over later to the detectives in charge.
Officers at the National Police's Forensic Laboratory Center
are proud to say that their lab is home to an array of the
world's latest forensic technologies, including lie detectors,
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testers, an absorbency detector, a
liquid chromatograph, an ultraviolet spectrometer and a detector
for flammable liquid.
The 42-year-old laboratory, located in a four-story building
at the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta, also has
the fully-computerized Hewlett Packard GC-IRD-MS device, which
combines gas chromatography, an infrared detector and a mass
spectrometer, for material identification of narcotics, firearms,
drugs, polluted matter, ashes and toxic material.
Many warmly welcome the team of four police surgeons,
pathologists, scenes-of-crime police officers and detectives when
they come to investigate serious crimes.
Pathologists at the state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital also appreciate the favorable collaboration.
Nevertheless, the work of the Police Forensic Laboratory
Center is viewed as a tiresome process.
In some cases, such as fire, compiling reports takes months.
Their report on last month's fire in Bogor, for instance, has
yet to be completed.
"We haven't received their final report about the cause of the
fire yet," said Bogor Police Chief Col. Dadang Garnida last week.
When asked to comment about the sluggish work of the police
surgeons, Col. Adang Rismanto, the newly-appointed head of the
Chemical & Biology Forensic Department of the Police Forensic
Laboratory promised improve the process.
"I'll try to further shorten the working duration in order to
help the detectives in charge to immediately solve the cases,"
said Adang, former head of the Jakarta detectives, who is now the
head of biology and chemicals forensic department at the National
Police headquarters. (bsr)