David Mugonyi And Jeff Otieno
19 August 2007
Nairobi — The high-tech equipment are not only used to beef up security in airports, homes or hotels.
In the United Kingdom insurers have begun using lie-detection software to catch policy-holders who invent or exaggerate claims.
One of the common softwares used to detect fraud is a system developed in Israel for security forces in the late 1990s by Nemesysco Ltd.
It differs from the traditional lie detectors that many of us have seen on Kenyan television in that a suspect does not need to be wired up for interrogation to measure his or her heartbeat, blood pressure or even body movements to conclude whether he or she is lying.
It can be administered via telephone through a software package and small monitoring unit connected between the call centre employee's telephone and computer.
Though in its early stages, insurers say it has helped cut fraud costs dramatically. It is legal in the UK provided callers are warned in advance of its use.
Demand for the equipment is also growing in the USA, where fraud costs insurers an estimated $80 billion a year. But universal use of the equipment is still a long way as some organisations might fear the unpredicted response from the public.
However, the software is already in the country and is currently being imported and sold by Aviation and General Security Consultants. The software developed by Nemesyco is not the only one that is being used to fight crime of various kinds.
Aerosols are also becoming popular in the fight, mainly in the developed world. The gun shot powder residue kit (GSPR) is one of those sprays.
The kit, already being used by police officers in some countries, can easily identify shooting suspects especially in countries where the use of firearms - legally or illegally - is high.
In forensic science it tries to answer the question; who fired the gun? It acts as a presumptive field test for residue containing nitrites, which is typical to gun powder residue.
Another equipment that can do the same job is the ferrotrace spray. It is also capable of making a link between a suspect and a firearm as it detects traces of ferrous metal on skin - even to the extent of outlining the kind of metal object that the suspect carried on his or her hand.
Another spray, the UV trap, is a marking tool that leaves an invisible colour residue on the surface that has been sprayed. When the surface is touched the residue is transferred to the hands that touched the surface.
Under the UV lamp, the residue is shown by a purple colour on the skin and it will remain on the skin for some time even when it is washed.
The spray has been used by organisations in netting thieves who conceal their identity.
However, one of the most amazing, equipment is the xaver 800, a portable equipment capable of sensing and imaging people and structures like walls. It comes handy for premises and structures which are highly protected as one can detect intruders before they gain access to the building. In fact the equipment, also known as camero lets you know whether a person or people are present behind walls, how many they are and where they are located.
Technically, it produces ultra-wide band signals and the data gathered is then used to form three-dimension models of things.
The unique design has the ability to capture the signals in messy conditions and through solid objects. Its operation is simple and intuitive and does not require extensive training.
The world has not seen the last of the sophisticated technologies, given the insecurity threats that loom everywhere - whether at the world's major airports or in the comfort of our homes.
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