Anakapalli: The role of forensic evidence is crucial in improving criminal investigation, observed Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Visakha Range Gopinath Jatti.

At a review meeting and training workshop organised in Anakapalli on Tuesday, the DIG emphasised on the importance of modern scientific methods in criminal investigation.

Organised by District Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha based on the orders of Andhra Pradesh DGP Harish Kumar Gupta, the programme also included a training workshop.

Addressing the gathering, DIG Gopinath Jatti, who attended as chief guest, advised, “The officers should be aware of the procedures to be followed in collecting and managing forensic evidence at crime scenes and in following the chain of custody.

He stressed that for justice to be served to victims, investigating officers, forensic doctors and public prosecutors to work in coordination with one another. The DIG suggested that steps should be taken to ensure that the accused gets punished appropriately through forensic evidence management training. Speaking on the occasion, SP Tuhin Sinha said that the training programme will help in enhancing the quality of investigation and that the suggestions and guidelines of forensic experts will come in handy for the officers.

The workshop provided training on the collection, packing and preservation of evidence such as narcotics, intoxicants, toxicology, digital evidence, cybercrime equipment, audio-video footage, DNA, blood samples and human organs.

The training was conducted by Regional Forensic Science Laboratory assistant director V. Nagaraju, scientific assistants M. Rambabu, PVSB Chalapathi and E. Kiran Kumar, among others.

Additional SPs M Deva Prasad, L Mohana Rao, DSPs M. Sravani, P Srinivasa Rao, V Vishnu Swaroop, forensic officers, public prosecutors, among others, attended.