Fast-time connections

A number of cases including some high profile shootings have involved weapons known to have been passed between individuals and gangs, and even across cities.

Incidents, such as the Aston drive-by killing of two teenage girls, have involved weapons where intelligence was found to link them to other investigations, in this case in Manchester. In the United States, one of the Washington Snipers is known to have come to the notice of Troopers on the West Coast where ballistics were seized but not entered into the US intelligence system, potentially missing the opportunity to identify one of the snipers. Other intelligence is known to exist that links the shooting of a police officer to another firearms incident.

In one instance, robberies using the same weapon at opposite ends of the country were recently detected purely by chance in that scientists attended the same conference and discussed the cases.

Forces’ inability to share data on gun and ammunition seizures and use, both internally and with other forces and agencies means similar incidents can easily go unconnected.

Dr Bob Golding and Chief Inspector Richard Moore told the conference the National Ballistics Intelligence Programme (NaBIP) will fill this void on a ‘no-cost basis for Senior Investigative Officers (SIOs)’.

The decision to launch the NaBIP follows a strategic business review conducted between July and September 2005 and published in October 2005 under the title Strategic Criminal Use of Firearms Intelligence Review. The review was prompted by the identification of a number of key deficiencies, namely:

• A lack of intelligence relating to ballistic material recovered across the country each day, which has restricted the efficiency of strategic assessments covering criminal firearm types in circulation and criminal activity associated to them.
• Opportunities for International Interventions were limited due to insufficient information to direct activities to interrupt the manufacture and importation of weapons destined for criminal use in the UK.
• Investigators expressed frustrations over a lack of national tactical intelligence assets and expressed a pressing desire to communicate intelligence on key individuals; locations and issues with other forces to ensure links and trends were identified early to manage risk across force boundaries and around the country.

In England and Wales it is estimated that a minority of seizures are submitted for forensic intelligence examination. Chief Inspector Moore put the level of submission at just 40 per cent of what should be submitted. Most decisions were based cost.

The slow and expensive submissions process through external suppliers, means most firearms not connected to a major investigation are not put through any form of scientific examination for any intelligence purposes; a gun or ammunition used in a crime elsewhere is very unlikely to be connected.

The decision to submit a firearm either seized or handed in will no longer be based on cost or timeliness, said Dr Golding. The National Ballistics Intelligence Programme (NaBIP) will be established by Home Office funding and run on a set subscription fee based on each force’s known volume of gun crime. The programme has been agreed with ACPO and plans are in place to roll out the programme with facilities in three locations, each serving approximately a third of the country.

Importantly, these are police owned facilities, using real time systems providing valuable national intelligence on gun use and seizures. Dr Bob Golding said: “A senior investigating officer wants to know whether a firearm has been used in a crime anywhere else in the country within 24 hours. Traditional methods mean this is not possible.

“The programme includes a nationally available 24/7 database of potential linked seizures and incidents. It will be able to show whether those used cartridges found at the side of the road are connected to anything else. They ju