02/03/2009

Tracking Gun 'Fingerprints' To Crackdown On Offenders

A new state-of-the-art £8 million national ballistics service to assist police in solving gun crimes was officially opened today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) provides a specialist 'CSI-style' analysis of all ballistics - effectively giving guns and bullets a 'fingerprint' which can be tracked. This means that police across the country will be able to match guns to offenders in double quick time and trace which gun a bullet has been fired from when criminals are using it more than once.

NABIS will support the police to solve crimes where firearms have been used quickly, identify the few individuals who import, store and supply illegal firearms and track down the people involved in illegally converting or adapting firearms.

Since NABIS began work three months ago it has already linked over 100 incidents in which firearms have been discharged and have received over 700 items for analysis.

This includes providing support to the police teams investigating Operation Trident incidents in London and the Fairfield Post Office shooting.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "Every gun or bullet tells a story. The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) helps police unravel that story and track down offenders.

NABIS's specialist CSI-style analysis of ballistics - effectively giving guns and bullets a fingerprint which can be tracked - will help police to match guns to offenders in double quick time.

"NABIS's expert advice will help police take more guns off our streets and better protect our communities from gun-related crimes".

The Government and police are also concerned about the use of deactivated firearms in crime. The concerns are on two fronts: the reactivation of deactivated firearms and the misuse of firearms while in their deactivated form to threaten and intimidate people.

During her visit, the Home Secretary also opened a conference room at the centre dedicated to teenagers Letitia Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis. They were both killed in a drive-by shooting six years ago in Birmingham.

(JM/BMcC)

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