Crime reduction, national security and chemistry

 

 

 

 

Considering the growing political importance of the crime and national security agenda, the international review report suggested that the lack of UK research in these areas should be addressed.

Chaired by Professor George Whitesides (Harvard University), the review stated 'a major problem . is to engage the community of chemists in the area of crime reduction and national security.funding alone will not, however, guarantee that this field attracts high-quality researchers'. 

Working with the Government

In 2003 the RSC looked to address this issue by organising community building workshops. The first was a workshop organised in collaboration with the Home Office Scientific Development Branch, which covered a broad range of topics related to crime reduction. Three main technological areas were discussed: novel materials, sensor technology and new analytical tools. 

A report titled The Chemical Sciences and Crime Reduction was produced from this workshop. It highlighted the importance of fundamental research in enabling the development of new technologies for crime reduction and the need for the increased involvement of the chemical sciences community, especially in the areas of chemical and biological sensors and detectors. 

Since then, the RSC has continued to work with the Home Office, and in addition, partnerships have been developed with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and several of the research councils. 

A joint group has organised further workshops aimed at generating new ideas and technological solutions and facilitating new research collaborations between the academic community, the DSTL and the Home Office. 

The overall aim of these workshops was to focus on innovative science and technologies that could be developed into field deployable devices with both military and crime prevention applications. 

Sensors 

In January 2005 a two-day workshop was held at the Home Office Scientific Development Branch at Sandridge. This workshop focused on chemical and biological sensor technology and was attended by around 30 people. 

A significant problem previously identified was a lack of knowledge on the part of the research community of the kind of problems faced in crime reduction and national security. Without a detailed understanding of the problem, scientists are unlikely to be able to provide a solution. The workshop proved an excellent opportunity for academics to gain this knowledge and increased their awareness of the general requirements for chemical and biological sensors and detectors. 

A follow up meeting was held in October 2005 at the Defence Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centre at Winterbourne Gunner near Salisbury. The centre is run by the RAF. 

The meeting promoted lively and wide ranging discussions of national requirements for sensing and detecting in a crime prevention and national security context. The treatment of detectors as a component within a larger system emerged as a strong theme. 

Providing a focus

The workshop achieved a great deal towards achieving the RSC's aims and objectives. The Home Office also viewed the workshops in a very positive light. They are aware of the new interest and focus that the RSC has been able to generate. 

This is an area to which the RSC has committed significant human and financial resources because we believe that our assistance can make a difference to the research community and ultimately to the development of a whole host of technologies related to crime reduction and national security. 

The RSC believes that our community can make a major difference in this important area, both now, and in the long term.