Three new specialist forensic vehicles are ready to hit the road to give police investigators faster access to critical information at major crime scenes, including terrorism incidents.
Minister for Police Lisa Neville today joined Victoria Police to unveil the $2 million mobile trucks, funded by the Andrews Labor Government as part of a broader $49 million counter-terrorism investment.
The mobile trucks include a command vehicle to triage and manage evidence for testing, a mobile analysis vehicle with a custom-built science lab and isolation chamber for dangerous or protected materials, and a technical vehicle to acquire, manage and enhance CCTV or photos.
The new vehicles will help police carry out a range of critical investigation capabilities at major crime scenes, including analysing chemical and biological evidence, processing CCTV footage and fingerprints, examining burnt or damaged documents and providing command and control facilities.
Previously, evidence needed to be taken from crime scenes and transported back to the forensic headquarters in Macleod before they were tested, slowing down investigations.
With the new technology, police will have the capacity to test this material on the ground within an hour.
The new vehicles can be deployed to large-scale emergencies or during natural disasters such as bushfires, like Black Saturday.
Victoria Police’s Forensic Services Department plays a critical role in investigations and prosecutions, examining more than 55,000 exhibits every year.
This state-of-the-art technology adds to two dedicated forensic hubs in Ballarat and Morwell and additional police on the streets following the biggest police recruitment drive in the state’s history.
With 100 new police graduating from the academy every fortnight, the Labor Government is delivering 3,135 police by 2022 and a further 825 to be deployed by mid-2019.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville
“These vehicles can be rolled out anywhere across the state, giving police fast and accurate access to information, to assess and secure a crime scene with speed and precision.”
“We’re delivering the resources and technology that police need, to protect Victorians from crime and help investigators analyse evidence and catch criminals.”
“This cutting-edge technology will help cut down investigation time to ensure police can respond anytime, anywhere.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020