By Kamroy Ogilvie
Copyright jis
The public is being assured that the Communications, Forensics and Cybercrime Division (CFCD), a unit within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Forensic Services Branch, actively supports investigations into missing persons cases.
Head of the Branch, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Christopher Brown, gave this assurance recently during the JCF’s Force4Good Podcast, an initiative designed to spotlight issues impacting Jamaicans.
“So we are required, as a Force, to watch by day and night. We have done so successfully within the landscape, evidenced by the decrease in crimes and in our public engagement; we have taken that into the digital space as well.
So, the CFCD represents that arm of the JCF that assists with investigations of those kinds of cases that occur within the digital landscape,” he said.
“As it relates to the work of the CFCD, missing person investigation is one of the things that they actually support investigators with. We are able to provide timely, accurate and reliable information to investigators regarding efforts to go searching for a missing person. But, rest assured, that the CFCD provides reasonable and sufficient support investigators, regarding missing persons investigations,” the senior officer added.
He further emphasised that, “to those persons who are wondering whether and to what extent we are offering that support, it’s a commitment, a credible commitment that we do go searching for persons in the digital landscape, as well as in the traditional landscape to support investigations”.
Meanwhile, SSP Brown noted that policing is both an art and a science. He acknowledged the difficulty in conveying to the public that televised portrayals of investigations often differ significantly from the realities faced by law-enforcement professionals.
“There are turnaround times regarding the processing of some physical evidence. So it’s not necessarily going to happen within 24 hours… it’s not necessarily going to be happening in 48 hours. Sometimes, some of these tests or scientific responses to our investigations do take some time, and we want the public to appreciate that we are working on these things and there’s a time associated with it. So one of the biggest challenges is really competing with the Hollywood effects of [the] CSI (Crime Scene Investigation [television series] and providing that accurate, thorough and reliable support from forensics,” he said.
“Depending on the physical evidence that is being analysed, there are some bits and pieces of physical evidence that can provide a faster turnaround time. There are other pieces of physical evidence that require greater due diligence, and we have to ensure that we maintain our integrity in terms of that process or those processes. So, part of what we do is to communicate with our various stakeholders regarding the length of time to process some of these bits and pieces of physical evidence,” SSP Brown added.
