New technology to solve firearms crimes

Dubai: Dubai Police has integrated an automated firearms identification system for matching a piece of recovered ballistic evidence against a computer database. The system called the Integrated Ballistic Identification System will help in solving shooting related crimes.

According to Colonel Nasser Al Shamsi, head of the examination of firearms machinery, at the management of the Forensic Laboratory at Dubai Police's Forensic Sciences Department, the system is the first of its kind in the UAE with only four other Arab states having it. They are Algeria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The system refers to computers to automate the process of matching a piece of recovered ballistic evidence - which can be either bullets or cartridge cases, or fragments - against a database, said Colonel Al Shamsi.

The traditional method of identification is time consuming as it involves the use of a comparison microscope. In the traditional method, "a firearms examiner visually compares the ballistic signature of a bullet or cartridge recovered from a crime scene with those in the police files," he said.

Colonel Al Shamsi proposed the idea to introduce the system in 1996, but it was implemented this year along with training four individuals on using it. "It is uncommon to find this [firearms related crimes] in the UAE since it's a safe country. But it's always better to take precautions," he said.

Automated Firearms Identification is widely used in the United States since 1991 as it has the highest per capita firearms ownership in the world.

According to Colonel Al Shamsi, the system has the capacity to collect and store digital pictures and link it to the evidence submitted for analysis, and electronic comparisons can be made for both shells and cases, firearm places of incidents using unlicensed and licensed weapons by creating a link between the cases and the identification of unknown shooting crimes.

This will assist in the developmental work of the section by offering a preview of the crime scence by identifying the method used and to determine the relationship of accidents occurring in different places, he said.

Colonel Al Shamsi said the system has a number of services, including linking the country with all the hallmarks of licensed firearms and firearms for shooting clubs. It can link all cases at the level of the emirate by archiving information on the movement of weapons.