Forensic lab adapts new work style in Covid times

NEW DELHI:  From organising online training programmes for its staff to sending smaller teams to crime spots, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has changed its work style during the Covid pandemic, an official said.

The FSL prioritised the northeast Delhi riots and also collected samples from the Nizamuddin Markaz which emerged as a coronavirus hot spot, another  official said. “It was challenging but we accepted the challenge and went ahead. Our team in a way has worked as a crime warrior during the pandemic,” said FSL Director Deepa Verma.

Verma said the FSL has made special arrangements to send staff to crime scenes. “Apart from giving PPE kits, we have decided to not send big teams to crime spots,” she said. A one-month specialised online training programme was also organised for the staffers. “They were given training for every field,” she added.

She said it was for the first time that online training was given to experts with an objective “that even if they have to handle things apart from their own domain they can do so”. Verma said they have adapted to a new working style and their experts don PPE kits when they visit crime spots.

“We have ensured that all our staff protect themselves by taking all precautionary measures amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. At the counters where we receive samples, the staff have been given gloves, head gear, face shields, kits, shoes, shoe covers,” she said.