By Momodou Jawo
Twenty officers of the Gambia Police Force on Friday completed five-day intensive capacity building on finger print lifting and forensic science.
The training, organised by the Spanish National Police, was meant to enhance the skills of the officers in the crucial area in order to enable them do their investigation properly and also to detect crimes when they occur.
Speaking at the forum, the Commissioner of Finance of GPF, Edward Sambou on behalf of the deputy Inspector General of Police spoke at length on the significance of the training, while describing it as timely.
He challenged the officers to make best use of the training in their respective units. This kind of training, he said, will go a long way in reducing the burden of the GPF in sending officers outside the country for such kind of training.
The commissioner of Planning and Police Implementation Ebrima Bah thanked the Spanish police for their timely intervention. The training, he went on, has come at the right time where the need for forensic is curial in the facilitation of their investigation process.
Forensic science and finger printing, Bah said is a modern technology which every police organisation requires, hence the conduct of this training is of paramount significance. “We expect you to go and share the knowledge with your colleagues and also apply it in your daily works. Do not only stop at the training you just concluded, thus venture into research through the internet and networking,” he stated.
The Liaison Officer of the Spanish Embassy in The Gambia Lieutenant Froilan Blanco Fernandez said the Spanish Ministry of Interior and the Spanish National Police are aware of the challenges of policing in The Gambia.
The problems in The Gambia, he noted, are the same problems in Spain. “If you suffer the problem of terrorism, irregular migration or the consequences of organised crimes we are suffering the same, thus it is significant we work together to fight this kind of problem,” he posited.
Lieutenant Froilan Blanco Fernandez added that this kind of problem with the terrorism and criminality in generally are global issues, “thus the need for us to work together to destroy this hot situation. During these days, the Spanish police have been teaching you on new technique on scientific investigation, thus it is crucial you improve your skills on your investigation,” he said.
Chief Inspector of Police Ensa Jammeh on behalf of the participants, said: “I can assure you that if the necessary equipment is available, we will detect any crime that occurs in the country.”
The ceremony was chaired and moderated by the public relations officer of The Gambia Police Force ASP Foday Conta.
