Ghana has cut sod to mark the start of construction of a forensic laboratory to proffer increment in fire investigations and other related incidents in the country.
Chief Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Mr Edwin Ekow Blankson performed the groundbreaking exercise and said that the project will house the Operations and Fire Safety Directorates of the GNFS.
The project forms part of efforts to modernize the service to change the paradigm of the GNFS. It involves construction of a two-storey office block building. The National Insurance Commission provided an initial cash of US $36,000 for construction of the lab.
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Forensic laboratory
Mr Henry Quartey, the Deputy Interior Minister and Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso Central, commended the project and said that Lack of a forensic laboratory has always negatively impacted on the outcome and timeliness of the release of fire investigation reports.
“It is my fervent hope that, this laboratory will drastically reduce if not bring an end the constraints faced by fire officers in investigating fires. The Government is committed to ensuring that the GNFS executes its constitutionally mandated duties by providing the needed logistics and accouterments for its operations, he added. ,”
Mr. Quartey further urged the CFO to ensure that the investment would be put to its intended use to derive the utmost benefit from it and also urged the contractors to expedite work for early completion of the building.
“There have been occasions the service could not prove beyond reasonable doubt the activities of arsonists in court due to the absence of a forensic laboratory. The upsurge of fire related crimes coupled with the sophisticated nature of other related incidents makes it extremely imperative to invest in such an edifice,” said Mr. Quartey.
