Cpl. Nav Hothi

Name: Nav Hothi
Position: Lower Mainland Forensic Identification Specialist

(located in North Vancouver  RCMP)
Years in the Force:  11 years
Birthplace: Dartford, Kent, U.K.

Long before Hollywood established it as a marketable genre, forensics has been key in the world of policing. But just how do you become one of those crime scene investigators? You could follow the path of Cpl. Nav Hothi and join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

After a few years of working in everything from sales to nursing at Riverview Hospital, and as a makeup artist to a lab assistant, she decided to take her undergraduate degree in genetics and go ask the experts what she should be when she grows up.

“I was looking for a career change and had gone to a career counselling centre,” says Cpl. Hothi. “After completing the personality tests and such, the counsellor advised that my top-three career choices based on my personality were: Army, Navy and Police. I was shocked.”

She ended up taking the advice very seriously and researched a career in policing. What she found was enticing. “I looked into policing and felt that there were certain things I was looking for in a career that policing would offer: A challenge, excitement, job satisfaction, and opportunity for advancement.”

See applied to the RCMP and was accepted in 1996. After completing her training at the RCMP’s training facility in Regina, known as Depot, she was posted to Surrey, B.C. — the RCMP’s largest detachment in Canada and a city with a large South Asian community.
“I was often called upon to assist when cultures and language barriers prevented my co-workers from conducting the investigation that was warranted. It felt great to not only be of assistance to my colleagues, but also to the community.”

Hothi has seen first hand that breaking down barriers and stereotypes builds stronger communities. And the importance of being open-minded has also served her well, especially when she chose to specialize in forensics.

 

After completing the RCMP’s internal training program — which includes courses, an apprenticeship and fieldwork — she became a certified forensic identification specialist. While Hollywood might lead you to believe that it’s a high-tech, high-speed job, the reality is that forensic specialists work in a much different environment. It is her job to attend the crime scene and conduct a millimetre-by-millimetre methodical collection of evidence.

 

Forensic specialists work in protective and contamination-sensitive gear, often with special breathing devices. They remain in locations for days. When Hothi worked with the Joint Missing Women Task Force, forensics specialists were at the scene in Port Coquitlam for years.  “A lot of Canadians who are interested in forensics don’t realize that in Canada, all the crime scene work is done by police officers,” she says.

It is an important distinction for those interested in a forensics career, though there are civilian-employee opportunities in the RCMP’s forensic laboratories.  Cpl. Hothi knows the importance forensics plays in Metro Vancouver, but she has also been proud to serve the force in other countries during times of celebration and crisis.

The celebration came when she was chosen to be part of the team representing Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. She was part of a three-member RCMP team responsible for the Canadian flag at the closing ceremonies. “It was one of the proudest moments of my life,” she says. “I walked into the stadium and raised the Canadian flag in front of the world.”

While that ceremonial honour was important, her role in Thailand after the devastating Boxing Day Tsunami was also life changing. Cpl. Hothi was part of the initial team of 10 RCMP forensic specialists and two major crime investigators deployed in January 2005 as part of the Canadian Disaster Victim Identification Team. Her role over a three-week period was to help identify, through many forensic methods, those tragically killed in the disaster. She worked along side her colleagues and others in the same profession from around the world.

 

“I was proud to represent Canada and the RCMP in an international setting, as well as provide International assistance at a time of such tragedy and loss,” she explains.
Cpl. Hothi says that so far her policing career has allowed her to better understand human nature and see both sides of a dilemma or problem. And while her parents and family are proud of what she has done, she is extremely happy with what the job has given her. 
“I love the varied work and excitement,” says Hothi. “I love to drive to work and think: This could be the most exciting day of my life. I never know what’s going to happen.”

There are 300 Forensic Identification Specialists (FIS) in the RCMP across Canada, with 120 of those located in the Pacific Region, which includes B.C. and the Yukon Territory.
FIS is responsible for the scientific crime scene examinations. They can be used to assist investigations that include armed robberies, missing persons, assaults and homicides.

FIS members also part of the first responder teams for situations involving Clandestine Labs and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) events. They can also provide post-explosive blast analysis.

FIS members have been valued members of major investigative teams including Air India, Joint Missing Women’s Task Force, and E-PANA-Highway 16 historical homicides. 
Currently it is a three-phase process to become a certified FIS: An eight week course at the Canadian Police College, a one-year apprenticeship and additional courses and field experience.