BENGALURU: In a first in the country, very soon the Karnataka State Police will have ‘scene of crime officers’ (SoC officers) to gather crucial and minute evidence from crime scenes. The State Government has sanctioned 206 posts for which the recruitment process may commence soon.
The SoC officers will be trained investigators and the recruits will undergo training at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Their primary objective will be to visit crime scenes, protect and gather scientific and forensic evidence, dispatch them to FSLs, assist investigation officers by providing evidence material, which may lead to the early arrest of culprits. The system, which mostly exists in advanced countries, is expected to detect and prevent of crimes better.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “So far, the local police were doing this job. To make investigations more effective, there was a need for experts to gather evidence from crime scenes. The government has sanctioned 206 posts. Initially, the officers will be used only for cases of serious nature. Gradually, more officers will be recruited,” he said.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will formally hand over the orders passed in this regard to DG & IGP Praveen Sood during an event at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday, while also distributing service medals to police, fire and emergency staff, and home guards. He will also launch the Vidyanidhi-2 project through which children of policemen can get quality education.