St Kitts-Nevis: New Forensic Director says she is ready to work

The new Forensic Director of the Forensic Department of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force was introduced to the rank and file at a Commissioner's Lecture Wednesday morning (December 19).

In her introductory remarks, La Toya Lake-Marshall said that she was extremely proud to be appointed as the Forensic Director. And, although she only recently arrived in the Federation, she made it clear that she was ready to work. Lake-Marshall hails from Antigua and Barbuda. However, she disclosed that she is passionate about serving the federation as she has close ties to the island of Nevis through her Grandmother who is Nevisian.

She said that she was warmly welcomed when she arrived and that she has already started building a relationship with her team. She told the Officers that she was also looking forward to working along with other units to combat crime, emphasising that "we have to work as a team" because "forensics is not magic."

"My duty with you here in St. Kitts is to make you stronger at what you do. I'm not here to change what doesn't need to be changed. I'm here to add a little touch to it so that we can make your federation much safer," Lake-Marshall said.

In May 2001, she graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice with concentrations in Police Studies, Forensics, Criminology and Law, and a minor in Advanced English.

Lake-Marshall brings a wealth of experience to the table and is passionate about crime fighting and the implementation of advanced forensic strategies to act as a deterrent to crime. She returned to her native land to serve as a specialist/special constable/inspector with powers of arrest and was attached to the Forensic Identification Unit where she served for the past sixteen and a half years. She was instrumental in the implementation of the first Crime Scene Investigation Unit of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda. She has processed over 900 serious matters during her tenure and has served as a specialist on the Sexual Offences Unit, as Director of the Statistics Unit and on the Community Policing Board as an executive member. She was also instrumental in a number of high profile cases in which she and her colleagues were able to assist Scotland Yard in linking serial murderers to crimes for which they are now convicted.