Forensics lab wanted in west
CBA president renews call for facility to allow faster processing of ballistics reports
Published:Monday | October 7, 2024 | 12:09 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Cornwall Bar Association (CBA) President Michael Hemmings is making a fresh call for a forensic laboratory to be set up in western Jamaica to process ballistics reports and other forensic matters at a faster pace than currently obtains, with Jamaica’s sole forensic laboratory located in Kingston.
Addressing journalists on Sunday, following the Judiciary of Jamaica’s annual assize church service at the William Knibb Baptist Church in Falmouth, Trelawny, Hemmings said the establishment of such a facility would allow cases in western parishes to be processed through the court system more quickly.
“As it is now, when we need ballistic reports or forensic reports, they are sent to Kingston for testing to be done and the results generated. What I am advocating for in the west is that we have our own laboratory that will prepare these reports that we need to have matters progress in the courts in a swift and timely manner,” said Hemmings.
“They take a long time because as I understand it, the laboratory in Kingston is what is used for all the 14 parishes. As such, we would want our own lab in the west – given that we have a Western Regional Gun Court that is sitting, listening to, and hearing these matters – for timely dispensation of justice. I think it would be fitting to have that in the west as well,” Hemmings continued, noting that the CBA would be writing to Justice Minister Delroy Chuck for dialogue on getting the western-based laboratory established.
In October 2023, attorneys in western Jamaica called for the installation of a ballistics laboratory as well as body cameras for the police and additional personnel at the Western Regional Supreme Court Registry to improve the dispensation of justice in the west.
Hemmings also called for legislation that would empower parish court judges to dispose of cybercrime matters if the Communication, Forensic and Cybercrime Division (CFCD) reports that are needed for such cases are not ready within a 12-month period.
“As it is now, when it comes to law-reform matters, the CFCD reports take a very long time to be prepared. The parish judge does not have the authority to dispose of the matter but only to transfer it to the circuit court,” Hemmings argued. “What we want is for there to be changes in the law to allow the parish court judge to make the decision that if it is that the CFCD report is not ready within a 12-month period, that that particular judge has the authority to dispose of the matters.”
In several instances, court cases, including those having to do with lottery scamming or other types of cybercrime, often get delayed for months at a time due to outstanding CFCD reports.
In July 2023, Chief Justice Bryan Sykes dismissed 52 lottery-scamming cases at the Trelawny Circuit Court due to outstanding CFCD reports out of a total of 71 cases that were dismissed. At that time, Assistant Commissioner of Police Anthony McLaughlin, the head of the Counterterrorism and Organised Crime Division, said the police were capable of producing CFCD reports despite being overwhelmed by having to take up over 3,000 such cases annually.