Car’s paint can help solve a crime

Arrangements are being made by the Abu Dhabi Police for setting up database of car paints for analysing the chemical composition of various vehicle paints as evidence.

Major Mohammed Saeed Al Jabri, Director of Chemistry at the Criminal Evidence Department, who is also Director of the car paints database project, said the project is part of the best use of criminal evidence. It has been tabled as an initiative in coordination with the General Department for Strategy and Improvement of Performance. When the project, which is scheduled to be launched this year, comes into completion, the criminal evidence section at the Abu Dhabi Police will be the only entity in the Middle East which use this method. This makes it possible to identify the car’s year of manufacture from the sample of its paint in case if the vehicle is involved in any accident or crime.

Workshops were held in connection with forensic laboratories in Canada, where international criminologists delivered lectures on preparation of database and on how to use it when vehicles are involved in hit-and-run cases. Lectures also focused on how to reach conclusion by analysing the chemical substance of the paint to determine the model and year in which the vehicle was made.

The department cooperated with international forensic laboratories in the US, Europe, Japan, Singapore and Australia to implement the best international standards and specifications, he added. The department is working with automobile agencies in the country to collect information needed for establishing the database. A number of member countries were also contacted to exchange information on car paints.

The department will soon choose the software programme for the project to commence activating the link between its databases and the data at the forensic laboratory in Canada. He added that the project will enable Abu Dhabi to become an active member in the international car paints database network, he added.

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