The Purchasing of hand-held Laser Raman Spectrometer Devices by the Malta Police Force
The Malta Police Force is presently making use of both EU and Local funds to enhance the capacities and capabilities of the Forensic Unit. One of these said projects, which falls under the Internal Security Funds – (Cooperation with the Police – Prevention in the fight against Criminality), led to the purchasing of new technological equipment, called Hand-Held Laser Raman Spectrometer Devices.
This ISF project will be facilitating the identification of confiscated substances, such as, toxic chemicals, narcotics, and also explosives. Police Officers who will be carrying out tests, making use of this new hand-held Laser Raman Spectrometer Devices, will receive immediate results, without the need to send such tests to the Forensic Lab at Police Head Quarters. That way, the time between the collection of evidence, and the issuing of results will be very much curtailed, since police officers would be able to confirm what type of substance they would have found, basically on the spot, such as during a patrol or on a crime scene. During the past years, some hours or even days would have had to pass, before conclusive results of collected evidence would have been released, now that is not the case any more. Undoubtedly this project also entails the necessary training, which has been already carried out with a number of police officers attending. This project introducing ‘mobile policing’ should lead to an increase of Police presence on our roads, thus enhancing the security aspect, while ensuring more success in the fight against criminality.
