Nine persons from the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory are undergoing a four-week training programme aimed at expanding local forensic toxicology testing and reducing the time investigators wait for results, Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond said yesterday.

In a post on her Facebook page, Walrond said the programme is being conducted in collaboration with India’s National Forensic Sciences University. Three police personnel and six laboratory staff are participating.

The training builds on toxicology testing already undertaken in Guyana and is intended to reduce the need to send samples overseas.

Forensic toxicology can help establish whether drugs, alcohol, poisons or other substances are connected to a crime or death. According to the post, faster results could assist investigators in determining what occurred and moving cases forward.

“Behind every forensic result is an investigation, and often a victim or family waiting for answers. The longer investigators wait for critical evidence, the longer a case can take to move forward,” Walrond said.

“We are building the expertise here in Guyana so that more testing can be done locally and results can be available sooner. That means stronger investigations, better evidence before the courts and a justice system better equipped to deliver timely outcomes.”

The programme also brings investigators and laboratory personnel together to strengthen the collection, preservation, analysis and use of evidence.

Walrond said the training forms part of the government’s wider efforts to strengthen forensic capabilities and support criminal investigations with timely and reliable scientific evidence.