BRIGHTON Beach SAPS urges victims of crimes not to tamper with crime scene evidence that has not been processed as this could hamper the police’s ability to investigate properly.
The police rely on evidence from crime scenes in their investigations. It is here they are able to collect, among other items, fingerprints, photo evidence and DNA samples such as blood, semen, skin cells and saliva.
This is collected by local criminal record centre specialists who operate from a centralised point.
“Forensic DNA assists the police to convict someone who is guilty of committing a crime and it may also prove the innocence of a suspect who has been wrongly accused.”
“The SAPS is aware that sometimes victims of crime become frustrated at having to wait lengthy periods of time for a specialist to attend to a scene. It must be understood that these forensic specialists are not based at a police station as they work from a centralised point, and also provide a service to more than one policing precinct during their tour of duty on a day or night,” said media officer, Captain Louise Le Roux.
She calls for people to refrain from touching anything at crime scenes and to prevent anyone walking in and around the scene. Victims of sexual assaults are also requested not to remove their clothing or clean themselves.
“Forensic DNA assists the police to convict someone who is guilty of committing a crime and it may also prove the innocence of a suspect who has been wrongly accused.”
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