Aug 21, 2017 | Uncategorized
From 21 – 24 August, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), together with the government of the Dominican Republic, carried out three activities aimed at strengthening forensic ballistics capacities in the region.
From 21-22 August, UNLIREC carried out technical assessments of the ballistics laboratories at the National Forensic Science Institute (INACIF) in Santiago de los Caballeros and Santo Domingo, as well as the Scientific Police ballistics laboratory. The results of which were discussed during a national roundtable held on 24 August, with government stakeholders.
On 23 August, UNLIREC organized a regional meeting with representatives from Central America and the Dominican Republic to discuss opportunities for the sharing of information and ballistics evidence both within and among States. 21 officials from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras participated in this roundtable. The exchange of ballistics information and evidence increases the capacity of authorities to make connections between crimes and crime scenes, nationally, regionally and internationally, and ultimately allows for a reduction in impunity in firearms-related cases. Representatives also benefited from a visit to the Ballistics and Biometric Laboratory of the National Arms System (LABBS) to observe best practices and discuss firearms registries.
These initiatives are part of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the UN 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms.
May 29, 2017 | Uncategorized
From 29 May – 1 June, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), together with ARQUEBUS Solutions Ltd delivered its first Double Cast training in the Caribbean, in Trinidad and Tobago
Five participants, among them firearm examiners, IBIS Technicians and Armourers of the Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre (TTFSC) and Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) participated in the 4-day Training, based on INTERPOL’s Double Casting methodology.
Double casting increases the ability of national authorities to make connections between crime and crime scenes, nationally, regionally and internationally. The training sought to build capacity in the region to create microscopic replicas of projectiles and cartridge cases that can be peer reviewed and uploaded to a Ballistics Information Network or shared across jurisdictions for comparison without disturbing the chain of custody of the original evidence.
Double Casting is a two step-process that requires a silicone mould to be made of the fired bullet or cartridge case and then making a resin cast using the mould created. Ballistic projectiles are mounted in a secured cup or mould box before pouring the silicone to make the mould. The moulds are then placed in a pressure pot to remove air bubbles, taken out of the pot, and cured for 15–24 hours. The cured mould is then removed from the cup or box and the specimen extracted. Next, the silicone mould is filled with casting resin, pressurized in a pressure pot, removed and the cured resin cast demoulded. The resin bullet and cartridge castings are then ready for ballistics imagining or microscope examination and comparison.
Equipment used in the training as well as consumables to conduct further, practical double casting of projectiles were handed over to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
Double Cast Training are part of the fourth round of implementation under the framework of the UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
May 6, 2017 | Uncategorized
From 5 – 9 June, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), together with ARQUEBUS Solutions Ltd, delivered its second Double Cast training and consequent donation of equipment in the Bahamas.
Five participants, among them assistant firearms examiners and IBIS Technicians of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Scientific Support Services (SSS), participated in the training. Participants were trained on INTERPOL’s Double Casting methodology.
Double casting increases the ability of national authorities to make connections between crime and crime scenes, nationally, regionally and internationally. The training seeks to build capacity in the region to create microscopic replicas of projectiles and cartridge cases that can be peer reviewed and uploaded to a Ballistics Information Network and/or shared to judicial proceedings and across jurisdictions for comparison without upsetting the chain of custody or jeopardizing the original evidence.
Double Casting is a two step-process that requires a silicone mould to be made of the fired bullet or cartridge case and then making a resin cast using the mould created. Ballistic projectiles are mounted in a secured cup or mould box before pouring the silicone to make the mould. The moulds are then placed in a vacuum degassing chamber to remove air bubbles, taken out of the chamber, and cured for 15 hours. The cured mould is then removed from the cup or box and the specimen extracted. Next, the silicone mould is filled with casting resin, pressurized in a pressure pot, removed and the cured resin cast demoulded. The resin bullet and cartridge castings are then ready for ballistics imaging or microscope examination and comparison.
Equipment used in the training, as well as consumables to conduct further double casting of cartridge cases or projectiles, were handed over to the Government the Bahamas.
Double Cast Training is part of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Mar 27, 2017 | Uncategorized
From 27-30 March, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) carried out its forensic ballistics collaborative competency testing exercise in the Dominican Republic.
Five members of the Scientific Police (PC), the Ballistic and Biometric Lab of the National Firearms System (LABBS) and the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) in the Dominican Republic participated during the 4-day exercise. These exercises are part of the third round of implementation under the framework of the UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
The collaborative exercises are a series of practical and paper-based assessments on the competencies of: forensic examination of small arms ammunition, forensic examination of firearms and their components and trigger pull and travel examination. The exercises – based on UNLIREC’s standard operating procedures – were developed as a preparatory step for a regional framework of competency testing. These exercises may also be used as an internal assessment tool for the forensic science institutes and laboratories of the region.
During this process, all examiners were assessed. These assessments also support the internal identification of existing gaps in skills, knowledge and procedures within Firearms Units in each State.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Mar 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
From 15 – 17 March, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) carried out a second round of forensic ballistics collaborative exercise in Jamaica.
Members of the Jamaica’s Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine participated in this 3-day capacity-building exercise. The collaborative exercises are a series of practical and paper-based assessments on the competencies of: forensic examination of small arms ammunition, forensic examination of firearms and their components and trigger pull and travel examination. The exercises – based on UNLIREC’s standard operating procedures – were developed as a preparatory step for a regional framework of competency testing. These exercises may also be used as an internal assessment tool for the forensic science institutes and laboratories of the region to gauge existing gaps in skills, knowledge and procedures within Firearms Units.
These exercises form part of the third round of implementation under the framework of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada. Firearms forensic ballistic assistance is currently being implemented in Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.
This event was preceded by a complementary mission to Jamaica by UNLIREC to officially handover a bulletrax system to the Institute for Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine on 14 March. This IBIS Bullettrax-3D System – funded by the Government of Canada – aims to boost the island’s forensic and ballistics capabilities by making it easier for analysts to compare bullets in their efforts to help solve gun crimes.
At the handover ceremony, a UNLIREC representative highlighted to national authorities that “[…]the system is going to facilitate the lab technicians and firearm examiners to trace the ammunition back to guns used in the crime, so we’re basically hoping to combat and prevent gun violence and combat illicit trafficking through the use of the system.”
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
