NABIS examines threat of 3D printed weapons
The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) is working with Warwick University and Manchester Metropolitan University to examine the threat posed by 3D printed weapons
The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) is working with Warwick University and Manchester Metropolitan University to examine the threat posed by 3D printed weapons.
Detective Chief Superintendent Iain OBrien, head of NABIS, explained: There is a danger to those users of 3D printers who experiment in trying to make and fire a weapon. We need to make people aware that producing a firearm in this way is illegal and could cause serious injury to the person holding the gun, as well as to any intended victim. There is a curiosity factor with 3D printers and those interested in playing around with the technology may not realise the high risks they are facing.
Bob Jones, the police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands,
recently visited the Birmingham NABIS hub and said: NABIS is a great British success story and is at the cutting-edge as far as science is concerned.
We have seen this in its demonstration of the potential for people to print guns. NABIS plays an essential part in the fight against gun crime. Its pioneering work has done much to help us understand criminal firearms and bring many of the perpetrators and some of the most vicious crimes to justice.
NABIS has been operational since 2008 and provides a national centre of excellence for forensic science, intelligence and knowledge to help identify key evidence in firearm-related criminality. Three other NABIS hubs are located in London Manchester and Scotland.
The four centres have access to comprehensive firearms reference collections and library facilities. In addition, there is the ability to make use of other co-located forensic capabilities, such as fingerprint enhancement and the most sensitive DNA profiling techniques. The latest generation IBIS (Integrated Ballistics Identification System) comparators are capable of carrying out the automated linking of bullets to both crime scenes and recovered weapons.
IBIS technology is located at each hub and links in with the NABIS database to provide the worlds first integrated firearms intelligence capability.
