People who perpetrate crimes against women and children have no place in society and the extension to the Forensic Science Biology Laboratory in North End will be pivotal in speeding up the investigation of criminal cases.
This was said by President Cyril Ramaphosa in Gqeberha on Thursday at the official launch of the upgraded lab, which will accelerate the wrapping up of criminal cases that have languished due to the absence of DNA results, resulting in a substantial backlog, particularly with regard to sexual offences.
Also present were police minister Bheki Cele, Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane and other high-profile dignitaries.
Though only officially opened on Thursday, the laboratory has been functional since February, with more than 6,000 DNA samples processed so far.
The city has always had a forensics laboratory but it previously only did preliminary testing to determine if samples were that of blood, saliva or semen.
SA’s DNA backlog stretches back almost two decades, according to the Institute for Security Studies.
Previously, it took between six and seven months for the results of forensic tests done in Cape Town to become available, leading to the courts sometimes not allowing further postponements for the outstanding test results, with the cases subsequently struck off the roll or withdrawn completely.
Ramaphosa, Cele and Mabuyane inspected the laboratory, which adds to the existing three in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The media was not allowed to join them.
Afterwards, they went to the Isaac Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele, where they were met by a parade of women from different law enforcement agencies across the country to close off Women’s Month.
Cele said later that the laboratory was built in the early 1990s but was not fully equipped to handle DNA analysis.
Already, he said, the 241,000 DNA backlog across SA had dropped to 190,000.
“What usually happened is that the exhibits [DNA samples] were either taken to the labs in the Western Cape or Gauteng to be processed, which took a while to get results for the [Eastern Cape].”
This, Cele said, had caused a backlog in cases, especially those related to sexual crimes, which were then delayed or struck off the roll.
This left the victims frustrated, while allowing the alleged perpetrators to continue roaming the streets.
“But with this lab, it means exhibits will be processed locally and this will expedite cases, which may lead to arrests of the perpetrators, especially those of crimes against women,” he said.
“While the lab will process DNA for all sorts of cases, it will be especially useful to finalise cases of perpetrators of sexual crimes because this was the one thing that was lacking when it comes to court cases and evidence to prove such cases.”
Cele said the police, in partnership with the National Prosecuting Authority, had agreed to process gender-based violence cases first.
Before addressing the small crowd, Ramaphosa paid tribute to the people killed in a Johannesburg fire that took the lives of at least 70 people on Thursday.
He said SA had come a long way since women were first accepted into the police more than 50 years ago to perform administrative and other duties.
“Today, we have the first-ever female deputy national commissioner for policing, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili.
“We have certainly come a long way, but we know that we still have much further to go.”
He commended the police for their commitment to addressing backlogs in the analysis of DNA retrieved from crime scenes.
“With this new and enhanced capacity in the Eastern Cape Forensic Science Laboratory, we can expect faster turnaround times, especially with respect to the investigation of gender-based violence and femicide.”
Ramaphosa said it should expedite investigations and help the police build strong cases with solid evidence to enable successful convictions.
“People who commit crimes against women and children have no place in our society.
“We depend on this and other forensic science laboratories across the country to make sure that these criminals are put in prison and remain there.
“As we wrap up Women’s Month, we appreciate all women in the integrated security and law enforcement agencies, across all the ranks.
“It is these women who continue to make significant strides in what was previously considered to be male-dominated environments.”
He said more and more women were becoming pilots and forensic, ballistic and DNA analysts.
“They are corrections officials, mechanical engineers, motor vehicle [accident] reconstruction experts and artisans.
He said five out of nine provincial commissioners in SA were women.
“This is the result of hard work that led to well-deserved promotions.
“We appreciate the struggles of women over the generations that laid the foundation for these accomplishments.
“We welcome this kind of integration of multiple forces and capabilities led by women in the security and law enforcement space.”
Mabuyane said the launch of the laboratory was a result of a clarion call by women in the province.
“As we close off Women’s Month, we call on all men to keep women safe.”
Mabuyane urged residents to work with the police in fighting crime by trusting and providing them with information that could lead to arrests.
HeraldLIVE