Police to set up forensic suite for abuse victims

(CNS): Police investigation into the abuse of children and other vulnerable victims is to be enhanced with the help of a specialist forensic suite. The funding for the facility is coming from Hedge Funds Care Cayman as part of their annual grant to agencies dealing with child abuse. In partnership with the Health Services Authority, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service will establish the suite away from the police stations where it can handle the delicate needs of victims and witnesses in a safe environment while gathering evidence for prosecution. "It’s a major step toward enhancing services and safeguarding children in our community,” Police Commissioner David Baines said.

“By working together and sharing knowledge and skills, we can continue to make inroads in combating child abuse and neglect,” he added.

The state-of-the-art interviewing suite will provide a safe and supportive environment during the investigation process. The officers working there will undergo sophisticated training in child protection interviews, while healthcare providers will be able to strengthen support services in the care and treatment of victims during the investigation process. The interviewing suite will be set up independently.

“We want to provide a reassuring setting to support the needs of victims,” Baines said. “Our goal is to make the investigation process as comfortable as possible for this vulnerable population while collecting evidence to present to the courts.”

In addition to the new forensic facility, Hedge Funds Care already provides a grant to the HSA to employ a part-time child psychologist to work with abused and neglected children.

Hedge Funds Care is an international non-profit group supported largely by the hedge fund industry which raises funds for agencies that work to prevent and treat child abuse. Since Cayman joined the program in 2005, it has distributed more than $1.3 million to agencies and organizations here. This latest grant was announced at the annual Hedge Funds Care benefit dinner last month.