When responders arrive at a crime scene, they know they need to be careful, but when radioactive material could be present, extra caution is required and specialized procedures must be put into action.
At a side event on the margins of the 65th IAEA General Conference today, delegates observed a demonstration of such procedures.
“Radioactive material can end up on crime scenes as a result of intentional malicious acts, such as theft or trafficking of material, but also unintentionally, for example if there is a crash involving a stolen vehicle carrying a radioactive source,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security. “Radiological crime scene management involves important procedures to ensure safe and secure collection of contaminated evidence, as well as to protect responders, the public and the environment from radiation exposure.”
The event was organized in cooperation with the Hungarian Police and the Hungarian Centre for Energy Research, an IAEA Collaborating Centre for Nuclear Forensics. The team of Hungarian law enforcement officers and nuclear forensics experts and the IAEA set up a mock crime scene where nuclear or other radioactive material had been found.
Participants witnessed how to put on appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), approach a radiological crime scene, conduct an initial hazard assessment, use radiation detection equipment, and collect, package and document contaminated evidence. Besides demonstrating these key practical elements, the need for a robust national nuclear security regime with an infrastructure that supports the effective management of a radiological crime scene was highlighted, such as the importance of capacity building and communication between all involved national stakeholders.
The important link between radiological crime scene management and nuclear forensics was emphasized: By helping to determine the origin and history of nuclear and other radioactive material, for example when it has been lost or stolen, nuclear forensics can provide vital details that guide criminal investigations.
“Radiological crime scene management and nuclear forensics are closely interlinked and interdependent,” said Csaba Tobi, a nuclear forensic expert at the Hungarian Centre for Energy Research, and a facilitator of the side event. “Only with effective management of the crime scene can nuclear forensics activities be properly executed.”
Radiological crime scene management and nuclear forensics will also be discussed at the upcoming Technical Meeting on Nuclear Forensics: From National Foundations to Global Impact, 11 to 14 April 2022, in Vienna, Austria. The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the application of nuclear forensics in the prevention and response to nuclear security events involving nuclear and other radioactive materials out of regulatory control, as well as the interface between nuclear forensics, radiological crime scene management and judicial proceedings.
Consensus guidance on a variety of nuclear security topics can be found in the IAEA Nuclear Security Series, including NSS No. 22-G Radiological Crime Scene Management and NSS No. 2-G (Rev. 1) Nuclear Forensics in Support of Investigations.
