OSCE-supported training for crime scene investigators starts in Belgrade today
BELGRADE, 9 October 2006 - A three-week specialized training on crime scene investigation for experts from Serbia's Interior Ministry was launched in Belgrade today. The initiative was facilitated by the OSCE Mission to Serbia.
"Forensic examination and effective crime scene investigation are essential to secure the conviction of criminals," said Edward Kabina, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission's Law Enforcement Department. "This training seminar is a great help to fight the very sophisticated operating methods of criminal groups in this country."
Apart from strengthening the Serbian police's crime scene investigation capacities, the seminar will focus on how to create the conditions for an unbroken chain of evidence flow from the crime scene to the courts.
The initiative is a part of a four-year project facilitated by the OSCE Mission and carried out by the Ministry of Interior and the Swedish National Police Board. Launched in September 2004, it aims to improve the capacities of police officers, forensic experts, prosecutors and investigative judges to effectively investigate crime scenes and manage evidence. Part of it will be to establish forensic laboratories, provide the necessary equipment and develop a comprehensive crime scene investigation policy at the national level.
Developing the capacity of Serbia's police in the field of forensics is a key priority for the OSCE Mission and forms part of the overall reform of the police in the country.