UAE | Crime

Police to recruit 60 graduates for new forensic laboratory

More than 60 graduates, including 12 doctorates, have been selected by Dubai Police to become forensic specialists in its new laboratory, a senior police official has said.

By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter
Published: 23:03 April 20, 2009

Dubai: More than 60 graduates, including 12 doctorates, have been selected by Dubai Police to become forensic specialists in its new laboratory, a senior police official has said.

Dubai Police is currently designing "a grand laboratory", which was described by Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, as "the number one laboratory in the world with the latest technologies and equipment. We aim to be at least one step ahead of the FBI," he said during a forum on meeting the forensic challenges of the 21st century.

"Crimes are globally developing and becoming complex and the techniques required to solve its complexity have to be updated. Finding evidence and deciphering it in a crime scene is becoming all the more complex which calls for exchanging expertise in the area of forensic sciences," said Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police's Deputy Commander General, in his keynote opening speech.

Developing and improving human resources is the priority of the Department of Forensic Sciences and Criminology of Dubai Police as finding the specialists would be a challenging task, said Lieutenant-Colonel Ahmad Mattar Al Muhairi, Acting director of the general department of forensic science.

He said the new laboratory will improve capabilities of serving specialists and recruit new ones to keep up with the advances in forensic sciences.

"We are in a constant challenge in updating our laboratories and training our specialists," he said.

According to police statistics, the number of thefts and robberies in 2008 was 35,872 while in 2007 they numbered 43,611. There were 18 murders in 2008 against 24 in 2007.

Dubai Police is increasingly focusing on recruiting and training Emiratis and targets having 70 per cent of the work force in the laboratory to be Emiratis.

"Initially we had specialists from abroad who did an amazing job in training and developing our laboratories. Now we are selecting pupils from public schools with exceptional grades and intelligence to specialise in forensic sciences," said Lieutenant-Colonel Al Muhairi.

Leading specialists took part in the weeklong forum along with experts from the United States, UK, Portugal, Germany and Switzerland.

The forum is also hosting leading suppliers of forensic equipment who will demonstrate latest technological advances. This will include a demonstration of specialised equipment designed to examine complex drug components.

A drug like hashish is composed of complex chemicals that are strong and highly addictive, said Dr Farida Al Shamali, Deputy Director of the Forensic Sciences and Criminology Department of Dubai Police. Therefore the necessity of analysing the components.