Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili today visited the National Bureau of Forensics and its new state-of-the-art DNA testing laboratory, which is the first of its kind in the region. He noted that the crime rate in Georgia was going down and that the new laboratory would greatly facilitate the battle against crime. 
"No matter what people say, the crime rate in Georgia is falling every month. According to statistics, 16 cars were stolen per day before the rose revolution. Today that same figure stands at one or two per day. Car theft, as a form of crime, effectively no longer exists in Georgia. Perhaps some have failed to notice this, but the people know... This has turned out to be not such a difficult task. All that was necessary were organization and commitment. 

"There is no longer corruption in the police. Law enforcement personnel have learned how to work, which has brought us this result... If you study, work honestly and perform the task at hand, you will certainly achieve a result. We have seen a reduction in all kinds of crimes despite the fact that the police no longer beat or torture anyone. This happened because people have begun to cooperate with the police - they make statements and give information - and also because we have the technical means and most importantly, we are putting our hearts into the job," Saakashvili said. 

The laboratory will perform tests to determine drug and alcohol levels and also be able to detect toxic substances in the blood. The National Bureau of Forensics houses an archive of 15,000 convicts' fingerprints and other important forensic records. 

One million lari was allotted from the state budget to pay for the lab, with the US government donating an additional 200,000 dollars for the project.

Communications Office
of the President of Georgia