Don't tamper with evidence, Sharjah Police warn public

Naji Al Hammadi shows some of the tools used by crime investigation officers while investigating acrime scene, during a Press conference at Sharjah Police headquarters. - Photo by M. Sajjad

 The Sharjah Police have warned crime victims to avoid unintentionally moving evidence on crime scenes before the arrival of police, as it tampers evidence and complicates investigations.
Lieutenant Colonel Naji Mohamed Al Hammadi, Director of the Crime Scene Section at the Sharjah Police, said that in many crime cases - particularly thefts - the victims move things from one place to another and mix their fingerprints with the fingerprints of the thieves.
Lt-Colonel Al Hammadi said that the crime scene is the place where the crime took place and includes all remaining signs of the crime.
"We are urging members of society not to touch crime scenes intentionally or unintentionally before police arrive at the scene, as it can indirectly conceal details that can make it hard to reveal and collect the fingerprints of the criminal," he said.
Revealing details about the function of the Crime Scene section, Al Hammadi said that "the main aim of the crime scene team is to find out details about crimes and reveal facts that can help in arresting the criminals. The crime scene section covers and responds to all reported notifications in Sharjah and all its affiliated areas and cities."
Additionally, the crime section's mission is to receive notifications of various crimes such as suicide, murder, thefts, robberies and falls from buildings, then dispatch its expert examiners who reach the scene in less than 30 minutes to collect crime-related evidence and fingerprints and prepare a written report.
"In 2015, the section dealt with 1,920 reports in Sharjah, 14 in the Middle area and 175 in the eastern emirates with a total of 2,109 notifications. We have also dealt with 6,760 crime signs that were collected and taken for testing to concerned authorities. We have collected 39,106 fingerprints and 49,287 pictures were taken from crime scenes," he said.
Shedding light on the procedures taken into consideration at the crime scene, Lt Colonel Al Hammadi noted that the first respondents to crimes are police patrols, who immediately cordon the scene and protect it until investigators arrive to collect evidence and take photos. All kinds of evidence and fingerprints collected from the scene are sent to the Sharjah Police forensic laboratory for further investigation.
He added that the section is well equipped with the latest equipment to detect evidence and have a well-trained team that can handle crime scenes professionally.
In many cases, despite evidence being tampered with, the team successfully manages to sort out the evidence that enables police to reveal the identity of the culprits.
In thefts, many thieves wear masks and gloves to conceal their fingerprints and hide their identity, but police still manage to track them down.
Among the advanced tools the team has is gelatin or powder which makes fingerprints clearer and then enter them in a computer to find the suspect.
There are also tools used to collect and analyse human hair and dry and wet blood. The examiners wear protection equipment such as gloves, masks and forensic suits.
The section also has mobile crime scene vehicle, which is equipped with a workstation for computer access, refrigerator for storing chemicals, as well as equipment drawers
"We are using this new vehicle to respond to crime scenes and whenever forensics investigation nets. It is needed," he said.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah