Police to directly pay PFSA for forensic tests
For years, officers paid costs from their own, or victims’ pockets
No fingerprints or signs of violence were found on the body. The cause of her death is apparently suffocation. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The capital police have finally relieved their officers from the burden of paying for the costs of forensic tests from their own pockets, which has been a major concern for the officers as well as the crime victims and complainants for years.
The Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) has accepted the police request to send the bills directly to the department on a monthly basis instead of charging investigation officers individually.
Hitherto, investigation officers who took the samples from murder, rape and other cases to the PFSA for forensic analysis had to pay the costs, which ran in thousands of rupees, in advance. As standard operating procedure, the officers would pay from their own pockets and later submit the bills and would get the refunds. Due to this, the officers often ask the crime victim or complainants to pay for the costs or would dilly-dally the matter, leaving the samples at police stations for weeks and months on end.
A senior police officer told The Express Tribune that unavailability of funds for investigation in advance is a major reason for corruption and bribery in the department. He said he would not be surprised if an officer demanded money from the crime victim to pay for the forensic tests.
“A DNA test in rape or murder cases costs between Rs5,700 and Rs8,000, an amount which an investigation officer has to spend from his own pocket. To refund this amount from the state, it takes at least three to six months if the file moves smoothly through various departments. So why would he spend an amount if he knows that he will get it back in six months at the earliest,” the officer said.
Police need forensic analysis and DNA tests in all rape cases and most of the murder, suspected murder, and liquor and narcotics recovery cases.
A National Forensic Science Agency has been established in the capital under the National Police Bureau and the Ministry of Interior but it has not been made fully functional, and the capital police still heavily rely on PFSA in Lahore.
Police said the initiative to pay directly to PFSA was taken by the incumbent inspector general, Sultan Azam Temuri, to address the officers’ financial concerns and to improve investigation standards. In a statement, Temuri said clampdown on corruption in the police department remains his top priority.
Apart from streamlining the forensic test costs payment mechanism, the IGP has also enhanced the monthly petrol consumption limit for police stations to 750 litres each. Earlier, the limit was around 450 liters which the police said was not enough. This was also a reason for the police to justify bribery and corrupt practices.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2018.
The capital police have finally relieved their officers from the burden of paying for the costs of forensic tests from their own pockets, which has been a major concern for the officers as well as the crime victims and complainants for years.
The Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) has accepted the police request to send the bills directly to the department on a monthly basis instead of charging investigation officers individually.
Hitherto, investigation officers who took the samples from murder, rape and other cases to the PFSA for forensic analysis had to pay the costs, which ran in thousands of rupees, in advance. As standard operating procedure, the officers would pay from their own pockets and later submit the bills and would get the refunds. Due to this, the officers often ask the crime victim or complainants to pay for the costs or would dilly-dally the matter, leaving the samples at police stations for weeks and months on end.
A senior police officer told The Express Tribune that unavailability of funds for investigation in advance is a major reason for corruption and bribery in the department. He said he would not be surprised if an officer demanded money from the crime victim to pay for the forensic tests.
“A DNA test in rape or murder cases costs between Rs5,700 and Rs8,000, an amount which an investigation officer has to spend from his own pocket. To refund this amount from the state, it takes at least three to six months if the file moves smoothly through various departments. So why would he spend an amount if he knows that he will get it back in six months at the earliest,” the officer said.
Police need forensic analysis and DNA tests in all rape cases and most of the murder, suspected murder, and liquor and narcotics recovery cases.
A National Forensic Science Agency has been established in the capital under the National Police Bureau and the Ministry of Interior but it has not been made fully functional, and the capital police still heavily rely on PFSA in Lahore.
Police said the initiative to pay directly to PFSA was taken by the incumbent inspector general, Sultan Azam Temuri, to address the officers’ financial concerns and to improve investigation standards. In a statement, Temuri said clampdown on corruption in the police department remains his top priority.
Apart from streamlining the forensic test costs payment mechanism, the IGP has also enhanced the monthly petrol consumption limit for police stations to 750 litres each. Earlier, the limit was around 450 liters which the police said was not enough. This was also a reason for the police to justify bribery and corrupt practices.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2018.