ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi Police's forensic laboratories have been awarded a UK accreditation recognising the quality of their performance. The force's Criminal Evidence Section had been assessed by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) before being given the distinction, the police said yesterday. Abu Dhabi Police claimed to be the first police department in the region to be given the accreditation after the UKAS found that its forensic testing labs met international standards.
Major Gen Nasser al Nuaimi, the general secretary of the Interior Ministry, said: "This will enhance the trust of our clients and meet our aspirations. To have the UKAS name attached to our laboratories' reports is in and of itself an achievement." The accreditation was the result of reforms and modernisation over the past three years, Major Gen al Nuaimi said. Col Abdul Rahman al Hamadi, the head of criminal evidence section, said it would apply to the UKAS next year for accreditation of other facilities, such as its fingerprinting laboratory.
"This is part of the initial commitment of Abu Dhabi Police to comply with the international standards of investigation and evidence," Col al Hamadi said. He said the UKAS team arrived in the UAE in June. Final assessments were conducted last month. Col al Hamadi said that to gain the accreditation, two committees were formed, one to supervise the progress of the training provided to the laboratory workers, and the other to ensure the quality of performance.
He said experts and technicians in the department's poisons, drugs and alcohol laboratories have been trained in Germany for two years. hhassan@thenational.ae