K'taka first in country to have SOCO officers

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Karnataka will be the first state in the country to have 'Scene Of Crime Officers' (SOCO) to gather crucial and minute evidence from crime scenes.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the recruitment for the post of 206 SOCOs will soon begin in the state.

The SOCOs will be trained investigators and the recruits will undergo training at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

Their primary objective will be to visit crime scenes, protect and gather scientific and forensic evidence, dispatch them to FSLs, assist investigation officers by providing evidence material, which may lead to the early arrest of culprits.

The system, which mostly exists in advanced countries, is expected to detect and prevent crimes better.

"In order to make investigations more effective, there is a need for experts to gather evidence from crime scenes. Initially, the officers will be used only for cases of serious nature. Gradually, more officers will be recruited," the CM said.