Delivering 22nd-century #CBRN forensics

There is no doubt that Europe is under an everyday threat of terrorism and the chance of that escalating into an attack from chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) agents also seems to be increasing. Police forces (and others) have been improving their capability to detect these attacks, but until these attacks materialize the skills needed to prosecute the individuals behind them will still lag behind the optimal, writes Claudine Weeks.

Securing a prosecution will need to see the successful interrogation of evidence, either at a crime scene contaminated with CBRN agents, or of the agents themselves back at the lab. This is an absolutely vital part of CBRN defence and, at present, forensic investigation is hampered by a lack of protocols and training in carrying out forensic analysis on CBRN contaminated materials.

The generic integrated forensic toolbox for CBRN, or GIFT CBRN, consortium, funded under the European commission’s seventh framework programme, is designed to close the many gaps inherent in this complex area and provide an integrated law enforcement CBRN capability that is world class.

The GIFT consortium is developing the most advanced forensic toolbox for CBRN incidents in the world. Through the cooperation of Europe-wide research agencies, first responders, industrialists and subject matter experts, the toolbox will provide enhanced capability in three key areas of CBRN forensics:

• Procedures, sampling methods and detection of CBRN agents at the crime scene.

• Traditional forensic laboratory methods for dealing with contaminated evidence.

• Laboratory methods for profiling CBRN agents released at an incident.

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The project aims to help forensic investigators who are looking for ways to improve and develop their work and techniques. The GIFT consortium is doing this by working with small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and researchers outside of the forensics field to see where new and innovative technologies could be applied to the niche world of CBRN forensics.

By looking beyond the forensic sector, the project is aiming to keep skills and knowledge up to date with other industries and to learn from their ideas and challenges. The consortium is made up of colleagues from a whole variety of industries to help take CBRN forensics to the next level.

One of the challenges being explored in the project is the best way to enable scientists to do more work directly at the crime scene – more measuring and recording safely at the crime scene so that the laboratory is left with the high-end work to do. GIFT researchers have been developing on-scene technologies, methods and instruments so scientists don’t have to take so many contaminated materials back to the labs, as well as looking at ways to carry out traditional forensics on the contaminated materials.

Some of the problems specific to conducting forensic analysis in a contaminated environment, are being explored by the consortium through the development of novel methodologies and technologies which will enable forensic investigators to perform enhanced analysis at the CBRN crime scene. Some of the innovations being explored include:

• Novel sensors for chemical and biological agents.

• Detection of alpha-emitting particles using UV.

• Development of decontamination methods that won’t impact on forensic traces.

• Micro-analytics on-chip to detect agents of interest.

• Attribution signatures for chemical, biological and radiological agents.

• An education and training curriculum.

GIFT Project Leader, Ed Van Zalen, Programme Manager for CBRN at the Netherlands Forensic Institute said: “GIFT is just one step, after this project is completed, the work will continue and we will be seeking for funding for further research and development.

“The challenge for Europe is that not every country has the same CBRN forensic capabilities available. My aim for GIFT is that we use it to set a gold standard across Europe and raise the bar so that every country is able to develop a minimum core capability for CBRN forensics,” he said.

As the consortium partners are exploring new procedures, technologies and techniques which will enable forensic teams to carry out work in very difficult circumstances, either through decontamination or through containment processes, one of the additional aspects is training in how to carry out these new processes. A key element of the GIFT project is the running of training exercises and then using the lessons learned from these to develop a curriculum, an education and training programme to help support the roll out of the toolbox across the EU.

The first training exercise took place late last year at the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh in the UK and looked at the radiological side of the project, testing processes and protocols which have been developed within the project. There are a further two exercises planned early this year, in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The three-year GIFT project will be concluding at the end of this year, but it is hoped that many of the ideas and research projects developed within it, will be taken forward by countries and that it will lead to an improved CBRN forensics capability across Europe. Many deliverables from the project are available to accredited agencies, and those interested should either click here or contact [email protected].

The consortium consists of 21 partners, from across Europe

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