Special Probe into Saga Police Begins over False Analyses

Saga, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency on Wednesday started a special inspection of the Saga prefectural police department over falsified DNA analyses involving a former analyst at its crime laboratory. A team of about 10 investigators, including the NPA’s chief inspection officer, entered the Saga police headquarters in southwestern Japan Wednesday morning. The probe is designed to find out the cause of the improper DNA analyses and check how preventive measures are being implemented. The former analyst was referred to public prosecutors last month for allegedly falsifying DNA analyses in 130 cases for about seven years starting in June 2017. The man has been dismissed. Special inspections are conducted under the instruction of the NPA commissioner-general in cases of serious scandals involving prefectural police departments. “We take this matter seriously as it undermines the public’s trust,” NPA Commissioner-General Yoshinobu Kusunoki said Thursday, referring to the falsified analyses. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]