Frontex Industry Days: light technical equipment for cross-border crime counteraction
On 9 and 10 November, Frontex is organising Industry Days focused on light technical equipment for tackling cross-border crime at the external borders of the European Union.
This equipment has the potential to significantly improve border control activities as it can be used to enhance the detection of cross-border crime, such as the smuggling of drugs, firearms, ammunitions, explosives, stolen cars, and counterfeit goods.
The complex character of cross-border crime threats requires Frontex to be aware of the state-of-the-art technological solutions intended to counter these types of criminal activities in order to improve operational support to EU Member States.
The upcoming event will be an opportunity to present the latest advancements in the following technological areas:
- handheld backscatter devices;
- handheld explosive trace detectors;
- handheld narcotics trace detectors;
- contraband detection kits, having the following composition:
- inspection cameras (portable videoscopes/borescopes) with appropriate ending providing access to fuel tanks (upgraded from fiberscopes to increase the quality of the kit),
- density metre and contraband detector (measures the density of the tested surface which may indicate hidden compartments),
- inspection probes (stainless steel probes designed to trap contraband when inserted into upholstery, sacks, flower beds, etc.),
- laser rangefinders (used to find false walls, bulkheads and hidden compartments in trucks, containers, cars, etc.),
- extension inspection mirrors with flashlight (to inspect the area underneath vehicles);
- under-vehicle imaging surveillance systems/scanners;
- Counter Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (C-RPAS), namely systems allowing the detection of RPAS used by criminal groups to smuggle goods across the borders or compromise border authorities’ activities by revealing patrol routes;
- raman spectroscopes;
- equipment used to detect weapons, their components and ammunitions;
- heartbeat detectors (including portable solutions);
carbon dioxide detectors;
radiation pagers (personal dosimeter).
This list should not be considered as exhaustive, and other technological solutions will be taken into consideration if relevant for tackling cross-border crime.
