Gun screening technology takes war against piracy a notch higher
An armed Somali pirate keeps vigil on the coastline near Hobyo, north eastern Somalia in the past. FILE PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
The regional forensic referral centre will receive the digital ballistics identification system at Sh97 million.
It’s expected to be delivered before the end of the month.
The technology is compatible with Interpol’s security system. It’ll no longer be easy to dispute evidence that has seen many freed.
Indian Ocean piracy suspects face stricter gun crime screening even as the Western military personnel prepare to pull out of the Gulf of Aden from next week.
The Kampala-based Regional Forensic Referral Centre (RFRC) will this month receive a digital ballistics identification system (DBIS), a gun examination and analysis equipment from Ireland in part of efforts to boost gun crime investigations.
The DBIS which has been procured at a cost of Sh97 million (€897,553) is compatible with the International Police’s (Interpol) security system. Its commissioning in February is expected to reverse the trend that has seen most of the suspected pirates caught in the ocean by Western forces being set free by courts for lack of evidence.
The equipment’s components include a bulletrax station which captures 3D images of a bullet used. It also has a brassstrax station which captures cartridge information (such as breech face and firing pin impressions) to be shared in the IBIS and Interpol security networks.
Its other component is a match point which is the firearm expert’s analysis station for reviewing the potential matches obtained from IBIS.
“This equipment was subjected to rigorous pre-shipment inspection and pre-testing by a team from the EAC Secretariat and RFRC on 28th November, 2016, in compliance with the contractual terms”, the EAC said in a statement.
This will be East Africa’s second such facility after the ballistic equipment owned by the Kenya Police Service.
The RFRC which was initiated by EAC Police chiefs in 2011 as a regional centre of excellence on forensic science will receive the equipment from Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology of Dublin.
The EAC along with Comesa, Igad and Indian Ocean Commission have been implementing a joint cross regional project aimed at curbing maritime insecurity in the Indian Ocean.
The EAC said the project, whose implementation started in 2013 was a response to acts of maritime piracy that had rocked the East African coastline.
It received EU support to the tune of Sh40 billion (€ 37.5 million) spread over five years. The EAC component sought to enhance investigative capabilities of law enforcers to curb insecurity incidents.
The acquisition of the equipment comes as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) announced its plan to withdraw its forces from the Indian Ocean.
Alliance
“Nato will terminate Ocean Shield on 15 December 2016, but will remain engaged in the fight against piracy by maintaining maritime situational awareness and continuing close links with other international counter-piracy actors,” it says on its website.
The intergovernmental military alliance maintains that its future counter-piracy efforts at sea and ashore will be limited to supporting countries in the region to build the capacity to fight piracy themselves.
East Africa has borne the brunt of piracy in the last few years with marine insurance – underwriting, terms of cover, and premiums payable by the ship owners – emerging as most affected.
According to a recent paper presented at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, most of the pirates are less interested in the cargo.They go for personal belongings of the crew and the contents of the ship’s safe “which might contain large amounts of cash needed for payroll and port fees.”
