Basseterre, St. Kitts – A report that a national of Antigua and Barbuda is set to become the head of the Forensic Unit and Laboratory in St. Kitts and Nevis.
According to Kyss 102.5 FM, Latoya Lake, who holds a degree in Forensics, has taken up the appointment from the first of this month, although there has not been a confirmation of her appointment from the Federal Government in Basseterre.
This revelation comes months after the resignation of the former head of Forensics, Trinidadian, Narace Ramnarine in August, 2018.
Several sources have indicated the Forensic Department staff are under great strain and the lack of an appointed and competent person to head the department up to this point appears to bear testimony to some of the frustrations being endured.
The report points to the lack of priority given to addressing the absence of a leader of this critical police division has been viewed in some quarters as a contradiction to Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Timothy Harris’, regular references to the importance of investing in the Police, and in particular forensics.
Several weeks ago, the Leader of the Opposition Labour Party branded the Forensic Lab in Tabernacle a “white elephant.”“We are told that the Forensic Lab is now a “white elephant” which was rendered useless after it had been abandoned merely three weeks after its opening when the Director walked off the job and returned to Trinidad and Tobago. It was only after several months of much embarrassment to the administration, facing a spike in murders including two police sergeant’s, the son of Federal Minister Liburd and a cousin of the Deputy Prime Minister and having little or no capacity to undertake proper forensic investigations needed to solve crimes, that Prime Minister Harris felt compelled to appeal to the Director for his return,” Dr. Douglas stated.
Other sources have also pointed out that local persons trained in forensics have been sidelined and unable to function.
