Soil survey to assist in solving mysteries

Abu Dhabi: Crime detectives will have one more tool to assist them in solving mysteries and making sure criminals don't go unpunished — a soil survey report.

Abu Dhabi Police will make use of the report, recently published by the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD), to solve crimes, a senior police official said on Sunday.

"The soil survey results will help link a criminal or suspect to a crime scene by using soil residue found in clothes, shoes or inside vehicles," said Colonel Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi, Director of the Forensic Evidence Department at the police.

Soil evidence can be used to solve a number of cases, from murders, property damage and theft to the illegal hunting of animals.

His comments came after the report was presented to the police by EAD officials, as part of their initiatives to maximise the use of the report.

The Dh42 million soil survey, initiated in 2006 by the Abu Dhabi government, was completed earlier this year. In May, its findings were published as a comprehensive report including soil maps to help authorities in land use planning and agricultural expansion. Colonel Al Hammadi said that in the past it was difficult to use soil remnants for investigative purposes. "But today, it is one of the most advanced tools used by a small number of authorities in developed countries throughout the world."

"Abu Dhabi Police will continue to use the latest technologies and methods to investigate crimes, and EAD's Soil Survey will be another great tool to help us achieve our goal," he said.

"Thanks to the maps we've produced, farmers, planners and developers can now better evaluate the potential of soil for agricultural and engineering purposes. Today, the survey will help yet another important stakeholder of ours, the Abu Dhabi Police, seeing it become an important tool for them to solve crime," said Razan Al Mubarak, EAD's Assistant Secretary General, after presenting the report.

The soil survey achieved a number of objectives. It developed soil maps for Abu Dhabi, identified areas for potential irrigated agricultural use, presented a range of maps derived from the survey data that could be used for development planning and decision making, developed an online soil database and initiated a soil archive.