D.S.I.R. aid to police for review?

Press, 19 February 1987, Page 1

D.S.I.R. aid to police for review?

By OLIVER RIDDELL in Wellington The shortage of forensic biologists in the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is prompting a review of its role in helping the police deal with marijuana offences.

The Minister of Science, Mr lizard, said the D.S.I.R. was not advocating legalising marijuana.

The matter surfaced at the recent conference of the Australia and New Zealand Association for the .Advancement of Science. At the conference a D.S.I.R. scientist, Dr Sue Nolan, said the D.S.I.R. might call for the legalising of marijuana to lessen its work. Mr Tizard was asked in Parliament if his call represented D.S.I.R. policy.

He said it had not been part of Dr Ndlan’s presentation to the conference and had not in any way represented D.S.I.R. policy. With the steadily increasing crime rate, and in particular the increase in serious crime, the pressure for forensic investigation had increased considerably in recent years.

Under the Government’s new user-pays system, the police were able to negotiate direct with the D°S.i.R. for the level of service required, but the demand was increasing at a rate with which the DJS.I.R. found difficulty in coping, Mr Tizard said.

In the case of forensic biology, particularly, there were not enough experienced staff available. It took time to train graduates in that field and the D.S.I.R. had found It hard to keep up with Increasing demand. A priority system had been established to enable serious cases, or those in which forensic evidence was crucial, to be given the necessary priority to be completed first, Mr Tizard said. In some circumstances the tests required took a lot of time and involved complicated measurements and expensive instrumentation, and it might not be possible to hasten such cases. .

Anything that reduced the workload by eliminating minor offences would help in relieving the pressure on forensic work in the D.5.1.R., he said.