31 October 2013 - The South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) graduated its first batch of 39 fingerprint experts in Juba today after nearly eight months of training in forensic science.

The purpose of the training, organized by UN Police, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and SSNPS, was to equip local police with necessary tools in fingerprint science and establish a Fingerprint Unit in the SSNPS Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

First Lieutenant General and SSNPS Deputy Inspector General Andrew Kuol Nyuon said fingerprinting was necessary for a court of law if genuine evidence was to be established, including for official suspects.

“Corruption is everywhere,” he said. “Be honest and demonstrate a spirit of nationalism by ensuring that you bring all perpetrators of crimes to justice irrespective of what government positions they hold.”

Out of the 39 selected police trainees, of whom 36 were men and three women, 23 were certified by the training as fingerprint experts.

Minister of Interior and Wildlife Conservation Aleu Ayieny Alue described South Sudan as a country with too much “oxygen” for every kind of criminal, many of whom were foreigners.

Jadalla Augustino Wani, Deputy Minister of Interior and Wildlife Conservation, noted that South Sudan needed experts in forensics, as the war had allowed no opportunity to develop needed skills.

Commenting on police investigations, UNDP Chief Technical Advisor Surendra Kumar Sharma said, “The effectiveness of any police service is often evaluated by the ability to carry out a credible investigation.”

UNMISS Deputy Police Commission Sanjay Kundu said crimes investigators look for contact evidence based on fingerprints, footprints and traces, but the key was fingerprints and their unquestionable evidence.

Interior Minister Alue told graduates to embrace a culture of hard work and consistence in their work to realize a significant impact. “Knowledge will mean nothing unless you translate your commitment into action.”

Through the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, UNDP had obtained 42 basic forensic investigation kits with 33 different items of collection and preservation of crime scenes evidence, photography and fingerprinting for the SSNPS.