Police chiefs from the East African Community (EAC) partner states have supported an initiative to set up a Regional Referral Forensic Centre (RRFC) to tackle crime.They expressed their support separately during visits by an eight member fact-finding delegation of regional forensic experts to each of the EAC Partner States to assess the countries’ suitability to host the RRFC.RFFC is the brain child of the Council of East African Police Chiefs and aims to address challenges in investigations, strengthen forensic services and criminal justice department. Its role will be to ensure that EAC countries have harmonised forensic centres. Article 124 of the EAC Treaty recognises the need for peace and security within the Partner States. It is further elaborated through the Strategy for Regional Peace and Security adopted by the 13th Council of Ministers meeting.In an effort to formulate measures to combat terrorism, Goal 10 of the Strategy provides for enhancement of forensic services with establishment of an RRFC.The EAC has already initiated the harmonisation of Peace and Security initiatives, common policing standards, joint investigations, exchange of information and mutual legal assistance among the Partner States, among others.“Forensic science of today covers modern computer; DNA fingerprinting; autopsy techniques; forensic anthropology and; toxicology. What more reliable method is there to prove innocent or guilty other than through science?” EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Beatrice Kiraso posed before the mission embarked on its 12-day long tour.She observed that the importance of regional forensic services becomes even more necessary and inevitable in the advent of regional integration which has now moved to the second stage of a common market.Rwanda’s Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, applauded the EAC for pioneering the regional referral centre, adding the country fully supports the an initiative. “We are waiting to see the establishment of a very good facility in addressing emerging crimes,” he pointed out. He added that Rwanda had already decided to upgrade its own forensic facility to address investigation challenges. “The government spends huge amounts of meagre resources to outsource forensic services and expertise from abroad, but time is ripe to acquire our own services and expertise which will cut down on both the time and the resources,” he underscored.“If Partner States can pool together their capacities, we can achieve a lot,” stressed Grace Akullu, the Assistant Inspector General of Uganda Police and Uganda’s Head of Criminal Investigations Department (CID), who represented Uganda’s Inspector General of Police, Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura.Examples of forensic science include the use of gas chromatography to identify seized drugs, DNA profiling to help identify a murder suspect from a bloodstain found at the crime scene, and laser Raman spectroscopy to identify microscopic paint fragments.
