Forensic investigation a good career choice

Friday, September 11, 2015

Irene – Communications Minister Faith Muthambi says government, publishers and private forensic investigators should encourage students to take up forensic investigation as a career path.

“As publishers, government, and private practitioners we have a responsibility to sell forensic investigation as a career path to the upcoming graduates.   

“Many personnel in the South African Police Service (SAPS) either become detectives because it is the only promotion available to them or they leave the detective environment because the only career opportunities that exist for them are outside of the detective environment,” she said.

Minister Muthambi was speaking at the launch of a forensic book: “Legislative Principles and Investigative Practice” on Friday morning in Irene, outside Pretoria.

The book is authored by Dr Setlhomamaru Dintwe, a senior lecturer at the University of South Africa (Unisa).

The Minister, who also used the opportunity to appeal to South Africans to write more books, said Dr Dintwe’s book will become a must read for people in the field of forensic science.

“I would also like to encourage other South Africans to get writing. Everyone has a story to tell. The African tradition of telling stories which lives on from generation to generation is part of our heritage. Our stories are often intensely personal and tell of our journey through life,” she said.

Muthambi said she was excited that the book is being launched during National Book Week. “Our country has a dire need to establish a culture or reading, for with a culture of reading comes a culture of learning and knowledge. 

The Book

The book highlights the basic concepts of investigation and then proceeds to examine more sophisticated specialised aspects, such as medico-legal evidence, DNA, and policing in a cyber-world.

The work also features more recent developments in the field, such as analysing the behaviour of offenders and the choices they make during the commission of crimes.

“This book and countless others that have been written in recent years is an affirmation that Africa is on the cutting edge of the knowledge economy. 

“Our brightest and best are at the cutting edge, but we must do more as a country to share this knowledge. One of the easiest ways of doing this is through books and the written word,” the Minister said.

The Minister said she hoped that the book will further strengthen the work done by forensic investigators and prosecutors. - SAnews.gov.za