Science and technological advancement may have given investigators an edge in solving crimes but the lack of trained personnel is preventing more cases from being cracked. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s new Master of Science in Forensic Science hopes to redress the balance. SUZIEANA UDA NAGU and MOHD NOOR ASWAD report

Crime scene investigators inspecting shrapnel from a bomb destroyed by the Bomb Squad Unit near Taman Connaught, Kuala Lumpur

Fingerprint kit used by crime scene investigators at the Royal Police Malaysia Forensic Laboratory

Young people say that television dramas such as Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order and Waking the Dead make forensics look exciting

CANNY Ong was last seen alive on the night of June 13, 2003, dashing to the basement of a shopping centre to retrieve a parking ticket which was left in her mother’s car.

Five days later, her charred remains were found in a manhole.

Two years later in February, Ahmad Najib, a former aircraft cabin cleaner, was sentenced to death for murder and 20 years’ imprisonment for rape.

Circumstantial evidence — such as Ahmad Najib’s semen on Ong and her blood on his trousers — supported the conviction that Ahmad Najib had raped and killed her.
Ong’s gruesome death is just one of several high-profile cases in Malaysia which have been solved with the help of forensic science.

That forensic science is fast becoming the main tool to solve felony in Malaysia is reflected in the number of cases that was referred to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Forensic Laboratory within months of its operation in 2002.

In 2003, the lab received 691 cases with 13,779 pieces of evidence. It received an additional 883 cases (amounting to 21,696 pieces of evidence to be analysed) the following year.

It was against this backdrop of rising crime rate and PDRM’s plans to expand its Crime Scene Investigations Unit in every state that Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (http://web.utm.my) recently introduced its Master of Science in Forensic Science programme.

The one-year full-time course is targeted at those with basic degrees in Chemistry, or branches of forensics such as Computer Forensic or Forensic Engineering.

Currently, 11 students are pursuing the course.

Although undergraduate programmes for criminalistic science are offered at Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UTM is the first tertiary institution in Malaysia and Asia to offer the programme at postgraduate level.

Chemistry Department Head Associate Professor Dr Abdul Rahim Yacob is excited that UTM is the first Asian tertiary institution to do so.

“This will attract local and foreign students to train in forensic science at UTM,” says Abdul Rahim.

Forensic is derived from a Latin word which means “of or before the forum”. During the time of the Romans, a “criminal charge” meant presenting the case before a forum.

The “Eureka” legend of Archimedes (287-212 BC) can be considered as an early account of the use of forensic science.

By examining the principles of water displacement, Archimedes was able to prove that a crown was not made of gold by its density and buoyancy.

Modern use of forensic science in criminal investigations emerged in 18th century England.

John Toms was tried and convicted in 1784 for shooting Edward Culshaw with a pistol.

A pistol wad (crushed paper used to secure powder and balls in the muzzle) found in Culshaw’s head perfectly matched a torn newspaper in Toms’ pocket.

In Malaysia, forensic science was used to solve crimes since the mid-1980s.

“Every forensic scientist subscribes to the Locard’s Exchange Principle. The core of that principle is that every touch will leave an imprint,” says Abdul Rahim, the author of Fundamental of Explosion Chemistry.

He also co-authored Introduction to Forensic Science with Dr Umi Kalthom Ahmad.

Locard’s Exchange Principle, also known as Locard’s Theory, was conceived by 20th century forensic scientist Edmond Locard.

*He was director of the first crime laboratory in existence, located in Lyon, France.

“Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects.

“All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, perjure itself (or) be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value,” said Locard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locard%27s_exchange_principle).

Two aspects of evidence are required in order to get a conviction — witness testimony and physical evidence (any object residue imprint that can be found at the scene of the crime).

Forensic investigation on physical evidence is crucial to establish the relationship between the suspect, victim and crime scene.

The forensic science unit, needless to say, plays an important role in crime solving.

Recently retired police superintendent Amidon Anan says that Malaysian police officers are trained to adopt “forensic approach and attitude”.*

“All police officers are aware that the crime scene investigators must be the first to process the crime scene,” he adds.

While science and technological advancement has enabled crimes to be solved faster, the lack of trained CSI personnel is hampering more cases from being cracked.

Of 209, 559 cases reported last year, only 82,270 were solved.

This has prompted PDRM to set up CSI Units in every state — 20 investigators for every large state such as Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Sarawak and 10 for smaller ones such as Perlis.

Abdul Rahim points out that forensic science is not just specifically for criminal investigations but also covers the fields of toxicology, river pollution, bribery and forgery of documents.

Those with a qualification in forensic science are not just welcomed in PDRM but also the Fire Department, Customs Department, Environmental Agency; Road Transport Department and Anti-Corruption Agency Malaysia.

“They are very much in demand,” Abdul Rahim says.

In criminal investigation, forensic scientists are called to present their findings in court cases. They are considered as expert witnesses.

In Malaysia only members of the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry (or its Malay acronym, IKM) are qualified to be an expert witness in court.

Apart from being a case witness, those registered with the IKM can serve at forensic labs and prepare chemistry reports, in accordance with the Chemist Act 1975.

“It simply means that to practise in lab work, to do analysis and other related work, we need a licence. When a person is registered, only then will his report and analyses be accepted in court locally and internationally. For example, a water analysis by a registered chemist would be accepted worldwide. The same goes for a forensic chemist.”

Those interested in pursuing forensic science at UTM must first obtain a Bachelor in Chemistry degree. Aspirants must have at least a B in Chemistry and C in two other Science subjects to enrol on the degree programme at UTM.

Students can choose to study Pure Chemistry or Industrial Chemistry; both are certified by IKM. They can then progress to a Master’s in Forensic Science degree at UTM.

MSc Forensic Science students are required to attend the forensic lab practicum at PDRM’s forensic lab for eight weeks. They will also attend a Moot court session, which will be evaluated in the final semester.

Abdul Rahim hopes that more students will appreciate the value of a degree in forensic science.

He is banking on the popularity of Emmy Award-winning Crime Scene Investigation franchise series — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York — to entice students to pursue the programme.

Judging from the findings of a recent survey conducted by Office Angel, a United Kingdom-based recruitment firm, students are already intrigued.

The study found that 62 per cent of the 16- to 24-year-old respondents said that television dramas such as CSI, Law & Order and Waking the Dead, “made forensics look so exciting, they would consider it as a career”.

The popularity of forensic science has become a universal phenomenon in recent years since countries the world over have been exposed to the field through the powerful influence of media and television, specialised education programmes and international forensic science organisations, states a study on the global popularity of forensics.

“So long as crime exists, the demand for forensic scientists will be there,” says Abdul Rahim.