Mobile lab speeds up Customs

Customs agents in Dubai are equipped with a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory, which can analyse unopened packages through airborne particles.

Customs agents in Dubai have been equipped with a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory to help them to detect drugs, explosives and radioactive material. The Dh700,000 (US$190,574) laboratory, which is installed in the back of a Volkswagen van, can identify a sample of suspect material by matching it to a database of more than 60,000 substances in a matter of seconds, according to Mohammed Mousabbeh bin Dahi, the senior manager in the operations and technical support department at Dubai Customs.

"Until now, we have used the facilities of our partners in the police and Dubai Municipality; when customs inspectors found suspect material, it was sent to the police forensic laboratory for analysis, which could take around a week," said Mr Dahi. "This laboratory makes the job much faster and easier - we can get the results of the analysis in under a minute. From the moment an inspector requests the mobile lab to identifying the suspect material now takes less than an hour."

Eight officers have been specially trained in the detection and handling of narcotics, explosives and weapons of mass destruction and to operate the sophisticated equipment, which was in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Mr Dahi said. "There are 14 locations in Dubai where we carry out inspections, and the lab can be dispatched to any of these, with officers then able to use hand-held devices to check packages and cargo before doing the analysis on site."

Some of the machines are so advanced they can detect and identify minute airborne particles simply by being passed over a suspect package, removing the need for it to be opened, which could expose customs inspectors to significant risk if the package contained explosives or chemical and biological threats. The van is also equipped with Geiger counters to check for smuggled nuclear material, and cameras to record the work of inspectors, which will be used as evidence in court.

"The laboratory will help us maintain the already high level of security in the emirate," said Mr Dahi. "As far as I am aware, this is the first unit of its type in the country and, although we do not have any immediate plans to acquire another, we are in the process of training more customs inspectors in its use. Since it began operating, the unit has helped to make the process of inspecting packages and cargo much more efficient, easy and safe."

During the past year, customs and police agencies throughout the Emirates have invested heavily in advanced technology to help to secure the country's borders against drugs and weapons. In July, the Ministry of Interior announced that airports, border crossings and government buildings would soon be equipped with luggage and cargo scanners capable of detecting explosives and radioactive material through 35cm of steel.

Customs agencies have started specialist training programmes to teach inspectors how to spot material that could be used to make weapons of mass destruction. Earlier this year, a man was arrested for attempting to smuggle zirconium, a metal that can be used to make nuclear reactors, through Dubai. He was caught following an investigation by customs officers and police, and the case is progressing through the Dubai courts.