AU mission trains Somali police on forensic investigations

MOGADISHU, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Wednesday begun a two-week basic training course on forensic fingerprint for the Somali police officers to investigate criminal cases.

Tresphord Kasale, AMISOM Police Coordinator for South West State, said the trainees will be taken through important topics ranging from fingerprints taking and storage and making references in criminal cases among others.

"The purpose of this course is to ensure that we train our officers on how to lift finger prints, how to store finger prints and how to make references to future cases in terms of investigations," Kasale said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

The course, being held in Baidoa, is structured to target officers from the South West State's Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Fingerprint evidence is a modern analytical feature that plays a crucial role in criminal investigations and is used to quickly identify suspects.

Abdirizak Aden Abdi, an Assistant Minister of Security in the South West State, said the training will go a long way in improving security in the region.

"The police force has different sectors; this (CID) is the most important one. As to why we put more efforts on this sector, it is the area that separates the criminals and non-criminals and they (CID officers) are the people to differentiate. I hope they will benefit from the training and serve their community," Abdi said. Enditem