Insect database to help Dubai Police solve crimes

Dubai - Examining insects found in a victim's corpse may lead to information about how the crime happened.

The Dubai Police are working on a database of all insects in the UAE as part of their strategy to use 'forensic entomology' in solving crimes, authorities said.
Major-General Dr Ahmad Eid Al Mansouri, director-general of the forensic science and criminology department at the Dubai Police, said in a Press statement on Saturday that forensic entomology ­- the study of insects in criminal investigation - can help the police in gathering evidence with the "important crime information" it can reveal.
Also read: How insects help Abu Dhabi Police in solving crimes
The plan to create the database comes a year after the Dubai Police started using forensic entomology to support investigators in solving crimes.
Brigadier-General Ahmed Matar Al Muhairi, deputy director of the General Department of Criminal Evidence and Criminology, said examining insects that can be found in a victim's corpse may lead to information about how the crime happened, when he or she was killed, what the exact time of death was, and whether it happened at night or in the morning.
Maj-Gen Al Mansouri said the Dubai Police is cooperating with the National Science Foundation (NSF) - which is affiliated with the International Forensic Research Institute of Florida International University - to create the database.
The NSF will provide the police with necessary information about the insects living in the UAE environment and how they can help in investigations.
A research team headed by Jeffrey Wells, a professor in the biology department at Florida International University, and a team of forensic experts from the Dubai Police will work together on the project, Al Mansouri said.
He added that the project would be highly important for the region, where forensic entomology studies are scarce.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai