Events

MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will adopt Belarus’ best practices in forensics, Anna Zhdanova, an official representative of the Belarusian State Forensic Examination Committee, told BelTA following a seven-day visit of the UAE representatives to the Belarusian State Forensic Examination Committee.

The foreign delegation comprised heads of the key units of the Abu Dhabi Police Forensic Evidence Department led by Director Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Hammadi. The visit was the first step in the practical implementation of the memorandum on cooperation in forensics signed in July 2017. The representatives of the Abu Dhabi police visited the laboratories of forensic and genetic examination, metallographic analysis, forensic scent evidence analysis, narcotic drugs examination, oil products research, elementary analysis, and molecular spectral analysis.

The guests were most interested in forensic scent evidence analysis (human scent evidence). Detection dogs are used to identify a specific odor from millions of samples selected in a crime scene. The representatives of the UAE delegation announced the intention to set up a similar unit using the Belarusian model.

The heads of the Abu Dhabi police units also got familiar with the Belarusian expertise to identify fingerprints in a crime scene, their rapid online transmission and dactyloscopic checks. The head of the delegation stressed the importance of bringing the police units engaged in forensic examination into one agency. This will help avoid the need to exchange requests between various law enforcement agencies.

During a meeting with Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Hammadi, Chairman of the State Forensic Examination Committee Andrei Shved stressed the importance of strengthening the friendly relations with the Abu Dhabi Police and noted the willingness to share best practices with foreign experts. For his part, Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Hammadi expressed his intention to send experts in fire-technical, forensic and scent evidence analyses and technical examination of documents for internship courses to Belarus. It was the third time Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Hammadi visited the Belarusian capital. The first visit was carried out in February 2014. This time the head of the foreign delegation stated that he was impressed with the results that the Belarusian forensics service has achieved in such a short period of time and welcomed its rapid development. The parties agreed to study the prospects for training foreign specialists in Belarus and preparing relevant internship programs for a period from three to six months.

Belarusian experts are planning to visit the UAE in November this year which will be the next step towards closer cooperation with colleagues from Abu Dhabi.