A toxicology expert says there’s a lack of political leadership at all levels in the as police forensic laboratories face a DNA backlog exceeding 140 000 cases.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron has called for the Office of the Auditor General to conduct a full forensic audit into the police’s DNA processing and forensic laboratories as well as contract management within the division.

Expert Dr Gerhard Verdoorn says, “There’s a human resource problem. The leadership needs to come forward and give the police the proper resources and again I reiterate, it’s about the expertise that they bring into the forensic department.

“I think our government has failed our normal people in bringing justice to real crimes that are affecting all our people. It doesn’t matter what nationality or what your cultural background is, it doesn’t matter about your income. We all need the same justice to be served to all of us and if the police can’t do it for us, we have no other way to go,” Verdoorn explains.

SAPS forensic laboratories face DNA backlog