Namibian Police need N$30m to clear DNA backlog
The Namibian Police Forensic Science Institute (NPFSI) is facing a significant backlog of 7 000 DNA cases, which impacts the country’s investigative and judicial capacities. This was revealed by Namibian Police head of forensics commissioner Nelius Becker in a recent interview with Nampa regarding efforts to expedite DNA cases. The backlog dates back to 2021, […] The post Namibian Police need N$30m to clear DNA backlog appeared first on The Namibian .
The Namibian Police Forensic Science Institute (NPFSI) is facing a significant backlog of 7 000 DNA cases, which impacts the country’s investigative and judicial capacities. This was revealed by Namibian Police head of forensics commissioner Nelius Becker in a recent interview with Nampa regarding efforts to expedite DNA cases. The backlog dates back to 2021, when over 4 300 DNA samples were reported, costing an estimated N$30 million annually to resolve.
According to Becker, challenges include underfunding, as the operational budget for the DNA division has been around N$3.5 million, while clearing the backlog requires over N$30 million. Becker noted that the facility receives an average of 1 000 new cases quarterly, with a clearance rate exceeding 70% for incoming samples. “We currently have a backlog of 7 000 cases on DNA.
