Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said yesterday a regional ballistics system needs to be established. "What you could find is a firearm used in one country in the Caribbean shows up in another," Rolle said.

“We have a RIBIN, which is a Regional Investigation Ballistic [Information Network]. Not all of the countries are able to afford the ballistics system like we have here in The Bahamas. We do our own ballistics.

“What is happening is I can have my guys here analyze, but that weapon, you don’t see it anymore. That weapon might show up in another country but they’re all individual.”

Rolle said there should be a central database where such information can be deposited. He said it will allow for cross country searches in such cases.

Rolle pointed to new technology from Omni that can assist with cross country checks.

“One of the technologies that they’re actually bringing is the use of the microscopes and the technology, so they can actually analyze and look at those images of the bullet from one country to another, and that kind of connects,” he said.

“We’re exploring that as well to see how effective that will be. So, someone, for example, in the Turks and Caicos, they collect the bullet, image it and then run it through the system.”

Rolle made the comments on the sidelines of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police’s 36th Annual General Meeting and Conference at Baha Mar.

Commissioners of police from across the region are attending the conference, which will last until Thursday.

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