Owing to the high crime level, the Forensic Science Centre is so swamped with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples from the police that there is a serious backlog, a source from the centre says.There is only one public DNA testing centre, the centre, and it is understaffed, the source added.The source was responding to questions from the T&T Guardian yesterday after the opening of a new private DNA testing centre, the DNA Lab, in Champs Fleurs.
According to the existing legislation, however, the police are not authorised to use a private centre to test DNA samples.The private facility declined comment on the matter.The source said since the DNA Act was passed in 2007, the Forensic Science Centre has been testing samples which the police take from criminal suspects and bring to them.
The source added: "But it has gotten a bit more demanding. There is now a very high influx of cases because of the high crime level and it's very difficult to send back all the reports at the same time."Right now we get an average of over 200 cases for the year. There is a serious backlog. The cases are piling up but we are trying our best to work on it."
The source said the centre could take between two days and a year to get a DNA profile, particularly in the case of a dead person."Sometimes it's the machines but the degradation of the samples can be a problem too. When people are burnt, for instance, we will be working with a degraded sample which continues to break down."But we continue to work until we get a full profile. We are understaffed and it's a lot of work."
The source said shortly after the act was passed, from about 2008, DNA samples were required for all criminal cases.Deputy Commissioner of Police Mervyn Richardson said DNA samples were required from every criminal offence, from homicides to break-ins."We have been trying to get DNA samples from all crime scenes but will only process them further when there's an absolute need."
Richardson stressed the need for a modern, efficient DNA testing centre."Yes, the Forensic Centre is a DNA testing centre but we need an up-to-date one," he said in response to a question.Asked whether the use of DNA evidence had been helping the police solve crime, he did not give a clear answer.He added: "It could work both ways. DNA evidence can disprove a suspect or confirm he is the offender of the crime. We have been using DNA evidence and continue to do so."