PESHAWAR, Jan 7: Non-existence of proper service structure coupled with lack of facilities and workload have adversely been affecting the performance of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at the crimes branch of the police department, sources told Dawn.
Established in 1942, the laboratory was meant to bridge the gap between science and law and quicken dispensation of justice, has not been delivering the desired results due to lack of service structure and other facilities for its employees.
Initially, there used to be fire-arm (FAI) and photography sections until it was revived in 1978 and other sections, such as chemical, documents, vehicles, fingerprints, narcotics, footprints, blood and seminal-stained, intoxicants, contraband, narcotics examinations, were also included.
In Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan-based FSLs only FAI and documents sections operate, which has prompted these provinces to depute their personnel for training to Peshawar on rotation basis. The Peshawar Forensic Science Laboratory has been serving as a training institute for the FSLs of the others provinces.
"The people appointed 25 years ago are still in the same grades because there is no service structure at all," said sources, adding that the staff, including constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, inspectors and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) are yet to go into next grades, whereas their counterparts in the same police department had gained rapid promotions.
Though a major component of the police cadre, the 72 staffers do not have a service structure, hence, denying them their due promotions. Headed by superintendent of police (SP), who acts as director, the FSL has three wings, i.e., administration, teaching and training.
Besides, other materials, it also examines explosives, adulterated petroleum and petroleum products, natural and artificial fibres, suspected chemicals, erased numbers on metallic surface, chassis and engine numbers of suspected, stolen vehicles and examination and identification of suspected weapons, crime shells, crime bullets, range of fire, gun powder residue, restoration of erased number on suspected weapons and bore and calibre findings.
It also offers fingerprint proficient courses to the investigative officers to strengthen their capacity. Basically meant to cope with the police department cases, it also examines samples of the customs, navy, NAB, excise, army, FIA and Northern Areas for which it charge Rs1,000 per sample, but the staff is denied its due share. According to rules, one-third of the amount generated through users' charges should go to the employees.
Employees are also supposed to visit courts throughout the province in connection with recording of statements, but there is no vehicle and the staffers have to travel on their own expenses that is never re-imbursed to them.
"Ironically, even the chief secretary, home secretary and inspector-general of police (IGP) do not know about the role of the FSL, then how can they be expected to improve its functioning by providing service structure and other facilities to the staff," said a source.
With the help of only four chemical experts, the FSL had performed 45,000 different examinations during the current year. The staff has been using 20-year-old equipments which had long outlived its lives.
In 1978, a mobile laboratory was also added to the FSL to rush to the crime scene. In 1985, the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) sponsored two persons for training in Austria and Malaysia and in 2000 provided some equipments and chemicals to the narcotic section.
The government provides Rs200,000 for purchase of chemicals, of which 30 per cent goes in sales tax and the rest are not enough to purchase the required quantity of chemicals for the whole year.
Sources said the staff was appointed in line with police rules, but the promotions were not given like the police department by the high-ups on the pretext that they had separate cadre.
Interestingly, the SP, who acts as director of the FSL, also comes from the police department. Till 1976, the DSP of the FSL used to be promoted to the post of director.
Police authorities do not like to strengthen the FSL because they would loose part of their powers, said a source. "We can stop police highhandedness through scientific investigations, because the police beat up innocent people to fleece them, whereas we can show the real picture of the crime through scientific evidence and save the innocent people from police's wrath," he said.