Police use new chemical detection device

Police in Berlin have been testing a new device designed to detect chemical and biological threats – giving it a dress rehearsal for the World Cup final.

The 70-kilogram (154-pound) portable device, named Sigis 2, can detect 200 different chemical compounds from a distance of five kilometres (three miles).

The device is designed to detect any substances as soon as they are released – immediately alerting officials to take steps to evacuate the general public. The amount of time that a chemical would take to travel five kilometres would depend on the wind and other weather conditions.

Lars Haase, a chemical engineer for the Berlin Police Force’s Forensic Department said: “It can take just one minute or half an hour.

“It could be difficult to evacuate all the people here quickly, but at least we would know what the substance was. The device`s catalogue of substances can be updated.

“It was tested on the crowds during Germany’s World Cup game with Italy on July 4. At the fan festival, it has detected perfume – but it cannot make out sweat.

“So far we haven`t detected anything we didn`t want to,” he added.

The device, which uses so-called Fouier Transform Infrared Reflectance technology, based on detecting tiny differences in temperature, was created by the University of Hamburg.

It was released in February of this year, and four of the machines are in use in Germany.

Haase said authorities in Stuttgart and Hamburg have also used them during the World Cup.