ABOUT US

As part of the task of reducing firearms criminality, the National Ballistics Intelligence Programme was created. The National Ballistics Intelligence Programme mission is to implement an efficient system of work, based on best practice and supported by a complementary database, to meet the Operational and Business requirements for the UK Criminal Use of Firearms Strategy and Doctrine Development.

The Programme will deliver a new database providing, for the first time, a national database for all recovered firearms and ballistic material such as complete rounds of ammunition, shell cases and projectiles. The database will also link those ballistics items to tactical intelligence recorded by the Police forces and other UK Law enforcement agencies.

The Programme will also deliver Police based Forensic capabilities to link firearms incidents. Three new regional facilities will be created to test fire, analyse and link firearms and materials to other incidents across the UK. These facilities will provide fast time information on the submitted items but will not provide evidential products.

Evidential standard information and materials will continue to be delivered by Forensic service providers, this firewall of intelligence and evidence has been created to ensure turn around times within the facilities are kept to a minimum. This will allow Senior Investigating Officers with the quick time intelligence essential within an investigation. The facilities will use the latest equipment and will be at the fore front of firearms forensic technology.

The programme team is working to deliver a complete system of work for the recording, forensic analysis, firearms/materials linking and providing access to associated tactical intelligence that will lead to the delivery of the National Ballistics Intelligence Service.