A local police officer stationed at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Plattekloof recently obtained his doctorate degree and now says he intends to take this further by publishing his studies into a book.
WO Benedict Hill (42) is stationed at the Forensic Science Laboratory’s ballistics section and recently completed the degree: Doctor of Policing through the Tshwane University of Technology. The thesis was entitled “A critical analysis of the use of ballistic evidence in the South African criminal justice system”.
Hill graduated on Wednesday 10 April at the university’s Soshanguve South Campus.
Since joining the police, he started his studies at TUT’s service centre in Bellville. He completed his National Diploma in 2007, B Tech in 2010, his M Tech in 2016 and now his doctorate degree.
Hill joined the police in 2024 after completing his basic training at Oudtshoorn’s police college and was first stationed at the Milnerton Police Station, where he has served in the Vispol and detective sections until July 2009 when he joined the ballistics section.
Studies
“I feel our ballistics section can be ranked among the best in the world when coming to production output of ballistic examinations. With the absence of such a study published in South Africa, I constructed a problem statement, and compiled a proposal to address this open gap,” Hill explains.
He says the findings of the study highlighted the examination of firearms and ammunition coupled with the meticulous ballistics examination process and how forensic firearm identification techniques provide crucial insights for investigators and serve as a cornerstone in solving crimes.
However, as technology evolves and legal standards develop, the quest for accuracy and reliability in ballistic evidence remains paramount, he says. By addressing these challenges, fostering technological innovations and upholding the highest standards of scientific rigor, the field of ballistics and firearm analysis can continue to contribute significantly to the pursuit of justice within the dynamic landscape of criminal investigations, Hill says.
Forming years
“I am a boy from McGregor and I can never forget where I came from as that forms a major part of my fundamental principles. I was schooled at the McGregor Primary School and Esselenpark Senior Secondary School in Worcester, where I matriculated in 1999. After school, I moved to Cape Town where I started working in a community pharmacy in Belhar,” the now Bellville resident and father of three says.
Hill says he completed his studies while being a single parent facing life and its obstacles. He says he could not have achieved his goals without the grace of God.
“I cannot neglect to leave out the importance and support of my now deceased parents and siblings. My family, colleagues, friends, participants in the study and of course Professor Jacob Mofokeng and Dr D Khosa for all their support and encouragement throughout the years.”
Hill says he is intending to publish his study in a book.
“Internationally, South Africa’s is considered as a very competent and experienced ballistic section due to our enormous case load of work, but we do not have much, if any, research publications to prove this and with more studies of these kinds we can establish ourselves as a force to be reckoned with.”
Hill says he also plans to continue research and engage with projects that can contribute immensely towards the fighting of crime from this setting. “I hope that this study will make an impact within the environment of forensic science and it will assist to ensure promotion for me within the police,” Hill concludes.
