Delta Police joins integrated forensics team

Nov. 29, 2019

The Delta Police Department is expanding its participation in integrated policing programs, and will be joining the RCMP-led Lower Mainland District Integrated Forensics Identification Section, with a preliminary start in December 2019.

That means while a Delta Police officer will respond in the first instance, Delta residents and businesses who contact police about a property crime for example, may have an officer from another police force show up to collect evidence. And conversely Delta forensics trained police officers will be investigating scenes in Richmond, for example, as well as in Delta.

The Delta Police Department already participates in a number of integrated units, such as Police Dog Services and the Emergency Response Team, and the auto crime team (IMPACT).

Examining items for fingerprints is one of the common tasks of a forensics trained police officer.

“By joining the integrated forensics team, our police officers have the opportunity to expand their forensic investigative skill set, as they’ll get exposure to a wide variety of investigations, that may not happen as regularly here as in some larger cities,” says Chief Neil Dubord.

However, Delta Police will continue to stand behind its ‘no call too small’ policy. All property crime incidents reported to police will continue to be investigated, and where the investigation warrants, forensic evidence will continue to be collected by police.

The decision to join the integrated Forensics unit was not taken as a cost-savings measure, says Chief Dubord. It is anticipated that costs will be approximately the same under the integrated unit. However, Delta will now be able to take advantage of economies of scale, meaning that in a complex crime scene Delta Police will now have access to increased capacity to meet all forensic requirements in a timely manner.

“It’s important for Delta Police to both be able to provide a full range of forensics services to the citizens of Delta, as well as ensure that officers who wish to pursue this career path have access to high level training and the ability to gain experience in a wide range of scenarios,” explains Chief Dubord. “Joining the Integrated Forensics Identification Section represents a sustained commitment to the importance of forensics.”