The first of its kind in the world

ME NewsWire

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, September 14th 2014

The Machinery and Firearms Section at the Forensic Evidence Department showcased the Mobile Ballistic Laboratory for the first time as part of its participation at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian (ADIHEX 2014).   The mobile laboratory was designed in response to the directives of the police leadership to provide Abu Dhabi Police with the latest devices and equipment to better enhance security and stability and ensure that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi remains a haven of security and safety through the provision of high quality police services to citizens and residents alike.   The mobile laboratory is the latest state-of-the-art addition to the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) at the local, regional and international levels.   Colonel Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi, Head of the Forensic Evidence Department at the Abu Dhabi Police, noted that the Mobile Laboratory is the first of its kind in the world. “The mobile laboratory operates efficiently in terms of firearms and ammunition testing, while sampling for the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS),” he added.  

Captain expert Jassim Al Manout, Director of the Weapons and Ammunition Quality Inspection Center at the Forensic Evidence Department, explained that the Firearms Section includes a branch to test firearms and ammunition, and a center specialized in quality control inspection. “There are 12 similar centers in Europe, one in Chile. The Abu Dhabi Police’s center is the first of its kind in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and is internationally recognized by the Permanent International Commission for Firearms Testing (CIP), which prescribes the technical and legal guidelines for the manufacturing, testing and approval for firearms manufacturers and companies,” he explained.

Adding further, Captain Al Manout pointed out that the Abu Dhabi Police aspires to link the data collected by the mobile laboratory with the database of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), with a view to exchange information in the field of firearms and ammunition. “The mobile laboratory is fully equipped to perform this task,” he said.

Captain Khalid Al Maamari, Chief of the Machinery and Firearms Section, indicated that the Mobile Ballistic Laboratory is a 25-meter long bullet proof trailer, equipped with a separate wheelbase cargo bed, which is completely soundproof. A water recovery tank is also available on board of the mobile laboratory to recover bullet fragments and cartridge cases that require testing using the IBIS system inside the trailer. There are other systems used for testing as well, such as metal boxes containing cotton waste material; a remote controlled firing pad; a miniature shooting range with moving targets inside the trailer; a spiral shape barrier at the backside of the shooting range to securely collect bullets; high-end surveillance cameras at the shooting field and the water recovery tank for security reasons; a control room with a monitor connected to all surveillance cameras installed in the trailer; as well as a ballistic pendulum, to measure the bullets’ speed; in addition to a special ventilation system to clean  the air from shooting residue.

First Lieutenant Ali Al Mazroui (forensics technician) stressed that the mobile laboratory trailer provides several benefits. It allows quick access to any major shooting accidents, should they occur; makes it easy to take part in annual hunting and equestrian exhibitions, to take samples from firearms that need licensing; and in case the firearms are approved, drive out to the firearms warehouses of the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters to take on-site samples of these firearms to be included in the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS). The mobile laboratory also streamlines firearms testing and actual firing tests on various materials’ samples such as wood or glass, and take part in various events.

Lieutenant Mohamed Hamad Al Kaabi (forensics technician) said that the mobile laboratory unit has the ability to upload firearms’ data through a joint communication link into the main server of the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) at Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters. He pointed that technical testing of firearms and ammunition is carried out by a work team of four Emirati officers who underwent training in the UK and Australia.

In the same context, Lieutenant Abdulla Al Kaabi (forensics technician) explained that the shooting range can be used for training purposes, while the water recovery tank is used to retrieve undamaged bullets. This procedure is an important element of ballistics, to compare striation similarities and match bullets to specific firearms used in criminal cases.

Lieutenant Al Kaabi pointed that the mobile laboratory is important to save time needed for technical firearms examination. The convenient mobility allows for testing on location instead of transporting firearms to the forensics laboratory; in addition to its role in providing security for VIPs when necessary.

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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