Disaster would catch forensic teams out
Hong Kong would not have enough forensic scientists to carry out investigations and mass victim identification in a major catastrophe, local experts have warned.
There were no more than 200 forensic scientists, mainly from the government laboratory, police and universities, to serve the city of 6.8 million, they said on the sidelines of a conference on forensic scientists yesterday.
Leung Sze-chung, president of the International Association of Forensic Sciences, said this number was considered enough as long as Hong Kong remained a safe city.
'With the current manpower, we are still able to handle disasters of the scale of an air crash,' said Mr Leung, an assistant chemist in the government laboratory's forensic division.
'But for major catastrophes like the September 11 attacks in New York, we would have to seek help from the central government or ask other countries to send forensic experts to help.
'But bear in mind that New York was not able to handle the September 11 attacks by itself. It also needed assistance from Washington and from other states to manage the chaotic situation after the attack.'
Government chief chemist Wong Yau-shing said the legal protection of human rights in Hong Kong had sometimes posed hurdles in collecting forensic evidence. For instance, the law required the laboratory to delete the DNA data of crime suspects once they were acquitted by a court.
'However, there is always a balance [between human rights and law and order] which the community has to carefully consider,' Dr Wong said.
The 17th meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences was launched at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai yesterday.
A total of 1,200 forensic scientists from around the world and their families will attend the meeting until Saturday to discuss a wide range of topics, including computer forensics, digital evidence and mass-disaster victim identification.
Speakers include Henry Lee, chief emeritus of the Connecticut State Forensic Laboratory in the US, a well-known investigator for many high-profile cases including the O. J. Simpson murder case.
