Ground was broken on Friday, November 12, for the construction of a state-of-the-art Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite in Kingston.
The facility, to be located at 149 Orange Street, downtown Kingston, is projected for completion in January 2023. It is being built at a cost of $547 million.
Speaking at the official ground-breaking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, said that the ground-breaking signals the Government’s commitment to equipping the security forces to deal with crime in the 21st century.
“It encompasses using science and providing the scientific tools,” he noted.
He informed that US$1.3 million will be spent to operationalise the facility to ensure that it functions as efficiently as it should.
The autopsy suite will bolster the work of the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, making it one of the finest in the Western Hemisphere, the Minister said.
He noted that it will provide pathologists and other members of the Institute “with the kind of facility they require to give us good-quality forensics” to assist crime-fighting.
Dr Chang informed that in the last year, the Institute’s Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ballistic analytical capabilities were increased through the operationalisation of the National DNA database.
The new DNA database can store one million DNA profiles, he said, noting that since January, approximately 222 cases were resolved because of DNA evidence provided.
“In addition to that, in the area of firearms, where we have our greatest problem, I think they resolved some 143 cases because of the ballistics available,” Dr Chang said.
Providing details of the investment in forensic science, the Minister informed that, to date, some US$181,493.16 has been spent on DNA equipment to include hardware for the DNA database and US$128,000.00 for DNA mixture software.
For improved ballistics capabilities, the expenditure, to date, is Can$194,151.00 for the 3D/HD upgrade, and Can$ 148,145.00 for the purchase of a new Matchpoint analytical station.
In addition, an annex was constructed at a cost of $254 million, plus an additional $29.6 million to upgrade electrical supply and $9 million to purchase a new standby generator.
Executive Director, Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, Dr Judith Mowatt, said that construction of the forensic pathology autopsy suite constitutes a major investment by the Ministry and Government in forensic services.
“The proposed facility will be sufficiently outfitted to effectively accomplish our organisational goals with the in-built flexibility that will enable us to adapt to the changing needs,” she said.
