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Government Analyst's Department (Telephone: 0112 786 000) |
Government Analyst's Department (Sinhala: ආණ්ඩුවේ රස පරීක්ෂක දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව) is one of the government departments under the Ministry of Justice in Sri Lanka. Located in Pelawatta near Battaramulla in Colombo District, it is the only forensic laboratory in the country.
- Vision: To form a fair and law abiding society.
- Mission: Providing Analytical, Advisory and Consultancy Service in the fields of Forensic and Food Sciences to Law Courts, Law Enforcement Agencies and other Institutions.
- Objectives: To assist the Process of Administration of Justice in a Fair and efficient manner.
History
The institute began operation in September 1904 as an annex to the Ceylon Medical College, and its first Government Analyst was the British citizen Dr. K. C. Browning. It was formally established in 1913 as the Government Analyst's Department and later, in 1934, re-established under the Ministry of Local Government at Independence Square, Colombo 07.
The Department's services were expanded in 1935 by the addition of the Forensic Questioned Document Examination Branch, and the first Government Examiner of Questioned Documents, Mr. Thambaia Nagendran was appointed in 1940. Foreign scientists headed the Department in its early years, but in 1945 it appointed its first Sri Lankan Government Analyst, Mr. W. R. Chanmugam. In 1992, Mrs. Yogarani Mahesan became Sri Lanka's first female Government Analyst.
The Department was under the Ministry of Defence in 1960 and under the Ministry of Justice from 1978. It was relocated on 10 May 2013 from Colombo 07 to a new six-storey building in Pelawatta, Battaramulla.
The DNA Analysis Branch was established in 2013 with the support of USAID (United States Agency for International Development), and later strengthened by a KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) project. The Digital Forensic Laboratory was later added in 2016 with further KOICA assistance.
Divisions
The Department comprises two main divisions: Food Science and Forensic Science. The Food Science Division includes four areas namely Food, Liquor, Milk and Water while the Forensic Science Division has nine major disciplines as Forensic Ballistics, Forensic Serology and DNA, Forensic Toxicology, Explosives and Fire Investigation, Narcotic Drugs, Forensic Questioned Documents, Computer Forensic and Forensic Miscellaneous Section.
The Department conducts scientific analyses and issues reports on evidence referred by Law Courts, Department of Police, Department of Customs, Department of Excise, Local Government Institutions, Ministry of Health, Port Authority as well as other Government Departments and Statutory Bodies. It also carries out quality testing of food, spirits, milk, and dairy products, and customs samples. Questioned documents are examined in the Questioned Documents Section for court cases.
The analysis is carried out under appropriate legislation such as the Food Act, National Environment Act, Excise Ordinance, Tobacco and Alcohol Act, Cosmetics, Drugs and Devices Act, Control of Pesticides Act, Fire Arms Ordinance, The Explosives Act, Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Motor Traffic Act, Criminal Procedure Code, Civil Proceeding Code, and the Evidence Ordinance.
In addition to that, the Department assists police in significant crime scene investigations of explosions, shootings, fires, and fatal accidents. Toxicology analysts also conduct food safety inspections at the time of visits by visiting foreign officials, whereas officers act as expert court witnesses to authenticate their scientific reports.
TThe Department also acts as a scientific consultant to government bodies, aids the Sri Lanka Standards Institute and Defense Ministry committees, and provides forensic and food science training for police, military, judicial medical officers, and health inspectors.
