The Main Expert and Criminalistics Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan received accreditation for compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 international standard

Today the Main Expert and Criminalistics Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan officially received the accreditation certificate for compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 for testing and calibration laboratories. Mr. Oybek Kulbekov, Deputy Chief of Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Saidolim Nuriddinov, Head of the Main Expert, and Criminalistics Centre and Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia attended the ceremony. Mr. Russel Singer, Director of the INL Programmes in Uzbekistan joined the event through online video conference platform.

“The quality of the analyses and the results of the work performed by forensic laboratories are crucial for the justice system, law enforcement in general, and crime prevention and health policy. Comparability and acceptability of laboratory results from different countries is ensured by adherence to the international quality assurance standard for testing and calibration laboratories”, Ms. Mittal remarked.

The drug-testing laboratory of the Main Expert and Criminalistics Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has successfully passed an independent evaluation and was found compliant with the relevant requirements of the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories".

The accreditation certificate was issued in June of this year by the Kazakhstan National Center of Accreditation, which is a full member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and a signatory of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), as well as the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and a signatory of the APLAC MRA on the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025).

"This international [accreditation] certificate testifies that the forensic activities of the Main Expert and Criminalistics Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are well-organized in line with the international standards. It will serve to further enhancement of international cooperation of the Internal Affairs bodies in combatting and preventing crime, protecting human rights and freedoms, as well as contribute to further confidence of the population and foreign organizations in the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the future. Furthermore, these will enable ensuring the use of the internationally recognized scientific and technical approaches and methods in the research process; minimizing the human factor in applying the scientific and technical methods used in the research; increasing the international prestige of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the fight against trans-border drug trafficking crimes; as well as acceptance of the results of drug examinations internationally,” said Mr. Saidolim Nuriddinov, Head of the Main Expert and Criminalistics Centre.

The successful accreditation was the result of a three-year-long collaboration between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Main Expert and Criminalistics Centre within Sub-programme 4 "Research and Trend Analysis" of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia for 2015-2020. UNODC supports laboratories in the introduction and implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS) through initiatives such as the provision of reference samples of controlled substances, guidelines for laboratories on recommended analysis methods, training opportunities and participation in the International Collaborative Exercises programme, and by promoting and facilitating the exchange of information, materials and data.

The donor for the laboratory support component is the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).