A laser that can scan a crowd and identify people who have been handling explosives is being secretly tested at British airports and railway stations.
The device no bigger than a shoe box could also be used by police and MI5 surveillance teams to identify Islamic terrorists outside mosques or community centres.
The laser can pick out suspects in large crowds and highlight explosive residue on their clothing and luggage.
It could also be used to guard against terrorists targeting the 2012 Olympics in London.
The Explosive Residue Detection system can be covertly attached to CCTV systems and automatically highlights people who may have been handling explosives or who recently fired a weapon.
Professor John Tyrer, of Loughborough University, who helped to develop the equipment, said: ‘When you handle an explosive, the chemicals -such as Semtex and TNT leave traces. With this technology we are able to see this telltale residue and identify possible suspects.
‘Using laser technology we can see the explosives on people’s clothes, on their hands or on items like backpacks such as those used by the July 7 London bombers.’
He added: ‘This equipment could be carried by surveillance teams or could be set up to monitor a street, a railway, airport terminal or national stadium.’
When the equipment scans a crowd, it alerts an operator when explosive particles are detected. The system uses a combination of lasers and the latest camera technology to produce images showing the suspect and highlighting the explosive traces.
Once explosive residue is detected, the system automatically alerts the operator. It does not need to be constantly monitored.
Unlike sniffer dogs detecting particles in the air, the system can be operated just a few metres from a target without anyone knowing they are being monitored.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1080665/Laser-beam-spy-camera-joins-war-terrorism.html?ITO=1490
I would like to understand why information like this is made available to the public. If you had caught would be terrorists with the device it may be approriate to tell the public at that time about the new tool.
How do you secretly test something when it is told to everyone that it is being tested?
Well, on one hand we have protection from those that will do us harm.
On the other hand we have a whole new world that a lot of people consider to be a George Orwell type surveillance society.
Which one is the best for us? I believe that is open for debate.