ISLAMABAD, NOV 2 /DNA/ – UNODC Country Office in Pakistan continues to strengthen the rule of law in Balochistan through supporting the Police Department of Balochistan towards enhancing its operational capacity and efficiency in handling and investigation of serious crimes.

Under the gracious support of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), UNODC is implementing a 5-year (2017-2022) ‘Improving the Rule of Law in Balochistan-Pakistan’ program in collaboration with the  Government of Balochistan. The Program aims to strengthen trust between citizens and government in the security and justice sector. In addition to policy and legislation reforms, majority of the efforts are geared towards providing the Police Department of Balochistan both with forensic know-how as well as equipment through handing over state-of-the-art Mobile Crime Scene Units (MCSUs). Up until now eight MCSUs have been handed over to the Balochistan Police to enable scientific and systematic processing of crime scene including proper identification and collection of evidence.

In continuation of the INL-led support, a gracefully hosted handing-over ceremony of two additional Mobile Crime Scene Units to the Balochistan Police was carried out by UNODC in collaboration with the Government of Balochistan in Quetta on 2nd  November 2022. The event was attended by key stakeholders and dignitaries from the Rule of Law and Criminal Justice sectors, including the Police Department of Balochistan and UNODC. The participants welcomed the induction of two additional Mobile Crime Scene Units as a significant milestone that will further enhance the capacity and outreach in crime scene investigation of the police in Balochistan increasing the total number of Mobile Crime Scene Units to eight.

These Mobile Crime Scene Units will serve as mobile crime investigation labs, enabling increase in the timely outreach and conduct of extensive evidence collection and processing at crime scene sites to document, such as homicide crime scenes and investigations that involve causalities. The objective is to strengthen the capacity of the local police through deploying a Mobile Crime Scene Unit that acts as a mobile crime investigation and forensic lab staffed with trained technicians who are equipped with skills to document and investigate crime scenes as well as recover and preserve any physical evidence.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Jouhaida Hanano, Criminal Justice Advisor from UNODC reiterated UNODC’s commitment towards improving the quality of investigation by strengthening the Balochistan Police Crime Branch through establishing four Forensic Collection Units in selected districts of Sibi, Khuzdar, Loralai and Gawadar. This will further enhance the outreach and capacity of the front-line police in the district to systematically collect evidence and process crime scene documentation in a timely manner.

The Inspector General of Police from Balochistan, Mr. Abdul Khaliq Sheikh appreciated the ongoing support from the INL and UNODC that has gone a long way in not just providing materials and equipment but enhancing the knowledge and capacity of the Police in crime scene investigation in Balochistan. He further added that as crime-control agents, police must fulfil its duty to deliver a more vigilant and peaceful rule of law, and crime scene investigation and forensics are important means to this end.