Forensics

 Forensic science refers to the examination of scenes of crime, recovery of evidence, laboratory examinations, interpretation of findings, and presentation of the conclusions reached for intelligence purposes or for use in court.

The provision of the equipment for forensics for the needs of the Law Enforcement Agencies in BiH was an absolute requirement for effective policing enabling them to perform criminal investigations in an efficient manner.

The delivered equipment activities range from instrumental analysis with unequivocal results, such as blood, drugs, alcohol determination and glass refractive index measurement to the investigation of suspicious fires and vehicle accidents and to comparison work such as handwriting and tool mark examination.

The EC Delegation, through PPU, funded the procurement of specialized equipment to the Forensics Departments at Entity level with the aim of making this service more functional and efficient towards its users. The equipment has been donated to the Ministry of Security and installed within the existing forensics laboratories at Entity level, with the commitment to work as a service for all the police bodies in BiH.

The forensic service has to be available to all Prosecutors’ Offices, LEAs and Police Investigation Departments or Units.  In this sense the service would truly become a “one stop shopping agency” that can fulfil the need for all serious crime investigations in BiH.

AFIS

The AFIS/APIS provides two key capabilities:

• the verification of a suspect’s identity and criminal history as they are brought into custody, through use of controlled fingerprint samples;
• the identification of Latent Marks left at a crime scene. 

The AFIS/APIS was designed with a National database and processing facility, and workstations appropriately distributed throughout the regions. 

DNA Laboratory

DNA laboratory was established within the Federal Police Administration for the analysis of biological traces. A component of the programme was the provision of hardware for the establishment of a unified National DNA Database within BiH with the objective of creating a unified and centralized database containing an overall collection of the established DNA profiles. This will serve as a reliable and efficient tool for identification in the course of criminal investigation and criminal procedure.

The legal frame has been taken in consideration, including that:

PPU organized and delivered long term training to the police experts and the laboratory became fully operational in March 2009.

Chemistry laboratory

Specialized equipment was delivered to Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior in order to improve the effectiveness of the laboratory to properly analyze chemical traces.

IonScan, which uses Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS), was delivered in order to detect traces of explosives and narcotics.

		A High Performance Liquid Chromatograph with Tandem Mass Spectrometer (LC/MS/MS) was also provided in order to perform chemical analysis of organic substances, such as drugs, narcotics and metabolites. It combines the separation capabilities of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry to discover separate components of a mixture based on a variety of chemical interactions between the substance being analyzed and the chromatography column.   .

Lab equipment

Microscopes

- Forensic Comparison Microscope with digital camera and software enables comparison of firearms, toolmarks, documents and other traces under the same lighting conditions and magnification

- Stereo Microscope for Forensic Document Examination is used for the forensic document inspection and examination

UV VIS Spectrometer with Software

Ultra-Violet Visible Spectrometer is used for identification of chemical substances based on their behaviour under the ultra-violet and visible light

Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer with Software

Atomic absorption spectrometers are used for measuring of metal concentrations in solution, in the forensic chemistry.

Digital Colour Photo MiniLab System
		This digital colour mini laboratory is used in the police forensic department for photograph development and printing

 

Forensic Cyanoacrylate Fuming Chamber

The instrument is used for fuming of crime scene objects of various shapes and sizes, rifles and shotguns in order to achieve well–distributed fingerprint development

Vertical Laminar Flow Cabinet

Vertical laminar flow cabinets are used in the DNA laboratory to enable operation in sterile environment without particles

Document Examination Systems

- System for Forensic Document Examination is used for a documental inspection under visible or near infrared light, examining water marks, features printed with security ink, retro-reflective features, inks on a document, indented writing or embossed stamps, graphic designs and logos, colour differences etc.

- Imaging System for Indented Writing detects the decipherment of indented impressions of handwriting on paper, examining all types of documents up to A3 size

Audio Video Photo Equipment

- Portable Video Projector

- Digital Photo Camera

Forensic Light Source

Forensic light source is used by crime scene investigators and lab technicians for detection of micro-traces as it enhances observation, photography and collection of evidence including latent fingerprints, body fluids, hair and fibres, bruises, bite marks, wound patterns, shoe and foot imprints, gun shot residues, drug traces, questioned documents, bone fragment detection and other

Forensic Cyanoacrylate Fuming Chamber

The instrument is used for fuming of crime scene objects of various shapes and sizes, rifles and shotguns in order to achieve well–distributed fingerprint development.