Eight months after the commissioning of a one billion dollar forensic laboratory, inquiries about what is happening within its walls have been met with silence.
It is unclear whether any testing is being done and it would appear that given a recent electrical problem, the facility is facing challenges.
Stabroek News recently contacted Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, under whose ministry the lab falls, for information on the facility but got no response. His secretary when contacted confirmed that she had received an email with a list of questions from this newspaper and she assured that it would be passed on to Rohee. Two weeks later, there has been no response.
Rohee was questioned on the recent fire and staffing along with an update on the intended police component of the lab and the types of testing being done.
A source said that from the information available, no “real testing” has been done, instead those hired have been undergoing continuous training.
Back in July in his address at the commissioning ceremony, Rohee had said that the lab will aim to use scientific techniques in solving crimes that the country had never seen before. He stated that the use of these techniques is all part of a system in keeping with international best practices.
Rohee assured that the lab would not be another white elephant and said that there have been discussions on the question of the clientele of the laboratory in order to formulate a business plan to ensure that at every stage of its development it is active.
While stressing adherence to international standards he said that the facility is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, including highly specialized systems, which will keep track of all evidence submitted for analysis. He said that the lab will specialize in testing toxic substances, narcotic drugs, pharmaceutical drugs, alcohol, and biological fluids. He said that based on a mandate given by the President and the Cabinet, the ministry has been tasked with working to introduce some elements of laboratory DNA testing at the facility.
A source told this newspaper that some of the staff have left for various reasons. This newspaper was unable to ascertain a precise number but was told that the staffing size is less than that which started out last July.
Based on advertisements placed in the daily newspapers, there should be at least 14 members on staff. There was some mention previously that four police ranks from the force’s crime lab were sent to the state-of-the-art facility. It is unclear whether they are still there and if so what are their duties.
Stabroek News has never been able to make contact with the Director of the facility as the directive has always been to make contact with the Ministry.
“Electrical episode”
The Ministry had acknowledged in a recent press release that the laboratory experienced a minor electrical fire on the evening of March 17, 2015.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle has however described it as an electrical episode. He told Stabroek News recently that the Guyana Fire Service did respond to the electrical episode which caused the alarm on the premises to be triggered. He said that the episode caused some damage to some electrical points and a chair.
He added that when fire officials arrived there, there was “no need for the fire service” as there was no blaze, “everything had already happened”. He said that the damage done points to an electrical problem.
The ministry’s release was a response to comments made by attorney at law Nigel Hughes on social media about the incident.
It said that contrary to Hughes’ claims that the fire “burnt all the electrical outlets on the rest of the floor”, it should be noted that only a small fraction of electrical outlets were actually affected and these are being replaced”. The fire itself, the ministry explained was caused due to the close proximity of a chair to an outlet when the outlet itself burned due to an electrical surge and a problem which developed in a phase in one of the main cables.
The ministry said that after completion of the electrical installation at the lab, the Contractor produced a Certificate of Inspection. It said that on the issue of air quality at the Laboratory, legal action against the Design Consultant would be taken.
A US-based contractor who refused remedial works on the building has since said that the recent incident was a hazard waiting to happen. The contractor told this newspaper that he told the ministry about the faults but no one listened and as such he opted not to take the job.
The source said that it should be a concern for all that this much money has been spent to construct something which could be of great benefit to the country and yet its activities are shrouded in secrecy.
The ministry denied Hughes’s statement that the construction of the laboratory is poor with loose tiles scattered throughout the building. It said that evidence of poor construction and loose tiles has not been reported by the Ministry’s representatives on their regular visits to the lab nor has the Ministry received complaints on that specific allegation from the staff.
The Ministry noted that it is not unusual for teething problems to be discovered when such a highly technical and complex structure is built and put into operation. It said that it is making efforts to ensure that any deficiencies currently being experienced are alleviated on a timely basis.
