CONTENTS

page:

History 2

Service Overview 2-3

Treating Incidents Seriously 3-4

Local Clearing House Function (LCH) 5-7

Transportation 8

Database 8 - 11

NABIS Regional Hubs 12 - 13

Marketing and Communication 13 - 14

NABIS Training 14 - 17

FAQ’S 18 - 22

Appendices 23 - 24

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HISTORY
The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) was launched operationally in November 2008. The
overarching aim of NABIS is to provide fast time, comprehensive intelligence to combat the criminal use of
firearms.

SERVICE OVERVIEW
This booklet has been created to provide forces and agencies with a brief but effective overview of the new
National Ballistics Intelligence Service. This document should be viewed as a “Quick Guide” to NABIS. A
much more comprehensive and detailed national good practice document, developed in conjunction with
the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA), is also available to assist and develop your understanding
of the operational capabilities of NABIS.

The National Ballistics Intelligence Service provides :-

• A complete registry of all recovered firearms and ammunition coming into police possession in England
and Wales.
• A ballistics comparison capability to link crimes and incidents within 24 to 48 hours in urgent cases.
• An associated intelligence Database to provide strategic and tactical intelligence capable of focusing law
enforcement activity.

The registry contains details of all recovered firearms and ballistic material such as complete rounds of
ammunition, cartridge cases and projectiles and other ballistic items. This for the first time provides UK law
enforcement with a complete picture of the firearms and ballistic items in existence across England and
Wales.

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Three new regional facilities test fire, analyse and link firearms and other ballistic materials to other
incidents across the UK. These facilities are capable of providing fast time results on submitted items within
24 to 48 hours of arrival at the regional hub in urgent cases.

NABIS uses forensic science as a tool in order to drive its wider intelligence capabilities. These facilities
utilise the latest 3D Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) in order to establish those links that
are so crucial in the detection of firearms criminality. NABIS then uses the intelligence contained within its
national intelligence Database to provide intelligence to investigators.

The intelligence gathered by NABIS is also used strategically to assess and lead proactive work in the area
of enforcement in order to prevent and detect the importation and manufacture of illegal firearms and
ammunition into, and within the UK.

NABIS has, and continues to work with the 43 police forces of England and Wales as well as its partner
Law Enforcement agencies such as HM Customs and Revenue, Serious Organised Crime Agency, MI5, MOD
Police, Royal Military Police, HM Prison Service and the UK Border and Immigration Service.

The National Ballistic Intelligence Service delivers a unique, world-class firearms intelligence capability,
combining science, intelligence and technology enabling it to be the cornerstone of a multi-agency
approach to tackling gun crime.

TREATING INCIDENTS SERIOUSLY

To be effective in the prevention and detection of gun crime each police force should ensure that they carry
out the following activities:

• Treat every gun crime incident seriously;

• Search crime scenes thoroughly;
• Discover and recover ballistic items;
• Submit relevant ballistic items to a NABIS forensic hub;
• Gather incident information and input it onto the NABIS database.

Identifying a gun crime can be complex. In some crimes, gun use is obvious as there is serious injury to a
victim or a gun is used in a robbery. These incidents are easily identified and recorded as crimes. In other
cases the facts are difficult to establish and serious incidents can be overlooked.

This risk is highlighted in the following scenario.

3
SCENARIO 1
Officers attend a report of gun shots in the street at night. On arrival they speak to the reporting person,
who is an older woman. She has seen nothing but believes she heard two gun shots. The officers conduct
an area search but find no obvious witnesses, victims or offenders.

In this situation there is a temptation to doubt the quality of the report. The older woman might be
perceived as unreliable, or the sounds treated as fireworks. In this case the incident might be written off
as a ‘Firearms Incident’, where the reporting person acted in good faith but was mistaken. In reality, the
incident requires further attention to make sure a crime has not occurred.

Failure to preserve the scene and search it the following morning could result in physical evidence, such
as bullets or cartridge cases being lost. It is also possible that others did hear the incident and perhaps
even witnessed part of it but are reluctant to come forward. Failure to react adequately with further
enquiries or searches can give the misleading impression that the incident or community are not
important to the police. This could further undermine the trust and confidence of potential witnesses.

4
LOCAL CLEARING HOUSE FUNCTION (LCH)
Each force or agency should have identified or created a LCH function to deal with the administration of
ballistic items and the requirements of NABIS.

Definition:
The LCH is a function in forces and agencies that records, retains and reviews recovered ballistics items.
The LCH has three key tasks:

• Recording all firearms recoveries on the National Ballistics Intelligence Service Database.
• Submission of suitable items to a Regional Hub for forensic examination for intelligence purposes.
• Receiving of items returned from Regional Hub for retention/disposal as required.

Task One:
The first task is the basic administrative responsibility performed by all forces when they recover firearms.
NABIS Database operates as the default administrative system, recording descriptive details of the item and
circumstances of the recovery. The system manages decisions made on:

• Retention,
• Disposal,
• Destruction or
• Forensic Submission; of the items recovered.

NABIS Database also allocates a unique reference number for each item, and provides management
records for all material recorded.

Before the introduction of NABIS Database forces and agencies recorded details of recovered ballistic
materials in a variety of ways that were both uncoordinated and not available centrally. The NABIS Database
enables each force or agency to record and manage the recovery, retention and disposal of such items in a
consistent manner.

NABIS Database is a confidential system and for this reason it is not possible to have the system sited on
every BCU across the country. Therefore, the administrative sections of the system are completed by a
central unit, most likely to be a central firearms department or a role within scientific support.

5
Task Two:
The second task of an LCH is to review all recovered material against the NABIS submission criteria
(Appendix A) and submit all relevant items for forensic intelligence examination at the NABIS hubs.

This function is normally performed by scientific support units in consultation with firearms advisors in
each force. This relationship is important to ensure forensic results and firearm movements are properly
monitored. Scientific support authority is usually required for a forensic submission owing to the costs of
the examination. NABIS is supported via an annual payment arrangement which means there is a ‘zero
cost’ implication for items submitted to NABIS and therefore it is possible for many routine submissions
to be processed by the LCH without this authority. However, in cases connected to live crime enquiries
scientific support should always be consulted to ensure correct instructions accompany the submission.

This task requires LCH staff to have sufficient firearms expertise to correctly identify items that meet the
submission criteria.

SCENARIO 2

While working in the police station front office, a member of police staff serves a man who has found
a handgun. The gun was found during a clear out of his attic and he presumes it was left there by a
previous resident. The member of police staff notes the details of the man and his discovery. There are
now two areas of immediate concern. Is this gun loaded and dangerous? Could this gun have been used
in a crime?

The police staff member ensures the gun is not interfered with further and informs the duty inspector.
An authorised firearms officer (AFO) is directed to the scene and advice is sought from a CSI. The AFO
takes care not to interfere with forensic opportunities and makes the gun safe. The AFO places the gun in
forensic packaging and labels it appropriately.

The surrender is recorded on the NABIS database by staff responsible for the force local clearing house
function. They identify that the gun meets the NABIS submission criteria and submit it to a NABIS forensic
hub for checking against open cases before it is destroyed.

Checks in the NABIS forensic hub reveal the gun is old and capable of being fired but not connected to
any known gun crimes. It is possible the gun was a trophy brought back from a military conflict.

6
Task Three:
The LCH receives all items returned from a NABIS hub or Forensic Service Provider (FSP). These items
should be retained as required by the criminal justice system or force policy. There is no facility to store
items at the hub and once examined the items will be returned to the submitting force.

This function requires the force to maintain a storage facility suitable for firearms and live ammunition.

Conclusion:
NABIS promotes a single administrative system to bring corporacy to the decision making processes and
the information recorded. The Local Clearing House is simply the name applied to the functions in each
force which takes responsibility for the three key tasks listed above.

Commercial
NABIS DATABASE Evidential
Gun Crime Intelligence Functions Functions

When Forensic
Ballistic Item Local Clearing NABIS
Service
Recovery House Forensic Hub
Provider
Required

s &INDS s .!")3 $ATABASE s $ETAILED FIREARM s %VIDENTIAL

s 3URRENDERS REGISTRY ENTRY IDENTIFICATION  SERVICES
s 3EIZURES CLASSIFICATION
s "ASIC FIREARMS s 4RIAL
IDENTIFICATION s &ORENSIC PRODUCTS  STATEMENTS
SERVICES
s 3UBMISSION TO HUB s #RIME SCENE
RETENTION OR DISPOSAL s /PEN CASE FILE CHECKS ATTENDANCE

s 2EMAND STATEMENTS

7
TRANSPORTATION SERVICE
NABIS offers a collection and delivery service for ballistic items that require submission to the NABIS hubs.
The transportation service has five key elements:

• To collect ballistic items from the LCH within a force or agency and transport them safely to the
NABIS hub.
• To return items safely from the NABIS hubs to forces or agencies for retention or disposal.
• To arrange collection of, or to deliver items from NABIS to FSP’s on behalf of forces or agencies where
an evidential product is required by that organisation.
• To provide a professional and secure service to enable the movement of firearms and other ballistic
material around the UK to ensure continuity is maintained to an evidential standard.
• To transport securely the data from the NABIS Database server to the National Firearms Intelligence Cell
for analysis.

Conclusion:
NABIS will arrange a collection and delivery schedule based on your individual needs. This service is free at
point of use and is there to provide you with a fast and reliable service. This is to ensure that your ballistics
submissions are examined within an optimum time resulting in the delivery of quick time intelligence to
your force or agency whilst preserving the continuity of evidence.

DATABASE
This section explains the functions of NABIS Database and how they contribute to the fight against gun
crime.

Registry for recovered ballistics material:

The first function of NABIS Database is to act as a registry for all ballistic items recovered by police forces
and law enforcement agencies. This administrative function allows each force to record basic descriptive
and recovery details of all ballistics material recovered on a day-to-day basis. It also records the movement
of all items up until the point of destruction or disposal.

Over time the registry will develop a picture of ballistics material recovered in each force, region and on
a national basis. It assists with identifying emerging threats and social trends in relation to firearms and
ballistic items as well as providing more comprehensive information to understand the current threat. The
information will also be used in the preparation of gun crime tactical and strategic assessments.

8
Identification of ballistic material:
The second function of NABIS Database is to record and manage the results of forensic examinations.
Relevant ballistics material is identified during the registry process. It is then transported to a NABIS hub
where it will be subject to laboratory examination. Full details of the results will be updated on NABIS
Database for the benefit of the submitting force or agency. Examinations will include an identification, legal
classification or investigation into previous use of the same weapon.

All relevant ballistic items should be submitted to the NABIS hubs ensuring all relevant forensic intelligence
is captured on one system. This provides the best possible opportunity for examiners, investigators and
analysts to identify links and trends between incidents, active guns and emerging threats.

Collecting intelligence on gun crime incidents:

The third function of NABIS Database is to collect and manage relevant tactical intelligence. This is the
information about people, objects, locations and events, which are linked to gun crime incidents and
ballistic items. This intelligence must be maintained by each Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) to ensure an
accurate picture of activity in each force and region.

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Benefits:
The NABIS Database brings several benefits to forces, including:

• an intelligence tool focusing on active firearms and providing intelligence to support activity around their
recovery, disruption and prevention of use.
• the ability to link information relating to people, objects, locations, events and ballistic items both
contemporarily and retrospectively.
• an intelligence tool to assist reactive serious gun crime enquiries.
• common language and data standards for gun crime and ballistic examinations aiding effective
communications between departments, forces and agencies.
• a single system for all commercial forensic suppliers to utilise and there by preventing data sitting in
anonymous databases under the control of commercial companies.

Strategic Intelligence:
The collective effect of the registry plus a forensic and tactical intelligence Database is to provide a body of
strategic intelligence.

The development of strategic intelligence is central to the business processes set-out in the National
Intelligence Model (NIM). In simple terms, strategic understanding of a problem (the scale and nature of
firearms crime) is critical to the planning of a response (for example, targeting conversion factories).

Effectively captured and articulated strategic intelligence provides an understanding of key issues affecting
a force, region, or the UK as a whole. Strategic assessment drives the business of tasking and co-
ordination, where activity is prioritised, tactical options are considered and responses initiated.

Benefits of developing Strategic Intelligence:

• an understanding of overall trends relating to ballistic items, locations and timeframes.
• local, regional and national understanding of the threat posed by gun crime.
• the identification of longer-term issues relating to firearms crime.
• information to evaluate the effectiveness of operations and strategies aimed at reducing firearms crime.
• information to inform the development of gun crime policy and legislation.

NABIS Database Reports:

The NABIS Database can be used to produce a range of reports to assist forces in their gun crime
investigations and intelligence gathering. The range of reports includes:

• intelligence reports.
• standard incident reports.
• ballistic item report.
• remand statement.

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Intelligence report:
NABIS Database can be used to produce 5x5x5 intelligence reports on any gun crime information contained
in the system. Ballistic items recorded on the Database can be linked to one or many intelligence reports.
For instance, an intelligence report on a particular weapon may link to several incidents.

NABIS Database disseminates intelligence reports between forces to show links between incidents, ballistic
items, crime groups, and events.

Standard incident report:

The NABIS Database can produce reports on the details of an incident. The user selects relevant incident
information to be included in the report.

Relevant incident information can include:

• location, time, date, description.

• people/crime groups linked to the incident.
• ballistic items recovered at the incident.
• ballistic items linked to the incident.

All incidents that involve ballistic items need to be captured within the NABIS Database, regardless of
whether they have been involved in a crime or not. The general details of the incident should be recorded,
for example where the incident took place, what type of incident it was and all people associated to the
incident. An example this could be someone you suspect of being involved in a shooting or the intended
victim of a shooting.

Nothing can be created within the NABIS Database without it having an incident to relate to as this
provides the justification for the ballistic item within NABIS. LCH users will have the necessary level of
understanding to get this information into the NABIS Database.

Ballistic item report:

The NABIS Database can produce detailed reports on ballistic items. The user can also select relevant
incident information to be included in the report. Relevant incident information can include:

• identification of ballistic item.

• classification of ballistic item.
• ballistic item links.
• incident details.
• recovery details.
• chronology.
• ballistic items recovered at the incident.

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Remand Statement:
The NABIS Database can be used to produce evidential remand statements for ballistic items. Remand
statements will be populated with the results of the forensic examination that relate to the identification and
legal classification of the ballistic item.

A remand statement from the NABIS Database is only available when a suspect is in custody and the
statement is likely to assist a remand application in the courts. The validity of a remand statement is only
guaranteed when it is produced on behalf of a force by the NABIS hub.

Access and training for NABIS Database:

The NABIS Database has a business administrator who ensures the integrity of the Database and takes
responsibility for:

• the training of hub and force users.

• access to the system.
• controlling the number of users from each organisation.
• maintaining data standards.
• managing database enhancements.

Each force or contributing agency has access to a qualified ICT trainer who has been trained in the use of
the NABIS Database. These trainers have cascaded that training to other users within forces and agencies.
Following the approved training, the business administrator provides each new user with a username and
password to access the system.

Conclusion:
• Success for NABIS Database requires the commitment and support of all forces and law enforcement
agencies.
• It is vital that all functions of the Database are adopted to achieve the benefits outlined.

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NABIS REGIONAL HUBS
The Hubs:
There are three NABIS forensic hubs serving the northern, central and southern regions of England and
Wales. The designated regions reflect the demand on firearm forensic services and historical patterns of
criminal behaviour.
The NABIS forensic hubs operate within three host forces; Greater Manchester Police, West Midlands Police
and the Metropolitan Police Service. Each Police force in England and Wales is served by a single NABIS
forensic hub designated to handle their firearm forensic submissions. A map showing which forces are
covered by each hub is contained at Appendix B.
The establishment of the NABIS forensic hubs ensures that:

• all firearms, bullets and cartridge cases are seen by a single group of scientists in one organisation.
• all bullets and cartridge cases recovered from crime scenes, but not linked to a weapon, will be held by
a single organisation. Access by forces to the associated intelligence will be unrestricted.
• intelligence can be gathered and collated without the danger of fragmentation amongst commercial
forensic companies.
• services are supported for all relevant material through an ACPO subscription arrangement.
• products and services can be delivered quickly in intelligence format to meet urgent operational
requirements.

!
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Services:
The hubs are staffed by forensic scientists who have considerable experience and expertise in the
examination of firearms and related items. The forensic hubs deliver key products and services to assist in
the investigation and prevention of gun crime. When submissions are accepted for examination, the hub
can provide intelligence reports which:

• identify the ballistic items.

• provide a legal classification of the ballistic items.
• link gun crime incidents through the examination of submitted items.
• link fired cartridge cases and fired bullets to a specific gun.

The hubs can also provide remand statements for any item that has been through the NABIS classification
process. A table listing all the services is contained at Appendix A and in the NPIA best practice guide.

MARKETING & COMMUNICATION

NABIS have provided forces and agencies with a complete marketing and communications pack, this pack
included:

• Posters.
• Postcards.
• Internal newspaper/publication article template.
• Intranet site material.
• Work flow “Z” cards for firearms and scenes of crime investigators.
• Local media press pack.
These documents allow a consistent flow of information to all the members of the law enforcement family
and local Media.

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Conclusion:
Effective communication of the scope and capability of NABIS will ensure that not only are people within
your organisation properly informed, but also that your local communities understand that your force or
agency is working as part of a national system of work to tackle the effects of gun crime within our society.

NABIS TRAINING
Although there is technical training around the use of NABIS Database the service has provide forces and
agencies with a facilitated learning pack, this pack provides training in the following areas and was be
delivered to single points of contacts in June 2008:

• Call Handling.
• Firearms Officers.
• Scene decision-making.
• Investigation.
• Intelligence.

The format of the pack is DVD based, it follows a typical firearms incident where NABIS is used successfully
in conjunction with other intelligence and investigative tools in order to apprehend and bring to justice an
offender involved in a shooting where one man is killed and another shot at. Each section allows different
members of the police family to see their role in the response to such an incident whilst learning about
NABIS, each section of the training takes approximately 2 hours.

15
Call Handling:
The call handling element of the training pack is designed to ensure that call handlers obtain the maximum
amount of relevant information to assist armed and unarmed officers who attend the scenes of firearms
incidents. This section includes role-plays and provides call handlers with an incident worksheet to aid in
the recording of firearms incidents on command and control systems.

Firearms officers:
This dedicated section aimed at firearms officers not only assists them in the understanding of NABIS as a
service but also provides them with insight into the science and techniques used by NABIS in connecting
firearms, cartridge casings and bullets to other such items across the country.

Firearms officers are often the first to attend scenes of alleged or actual incidents and are often looked
upon as experts in the field of firearms by unarmed colleagues, this section of the training package ensures
they have the best possible understanding of NABIS and its techniques to inform others of the best use of
NABIS in a live environment.

Scene decision-making:
It is not always clear when attending the scene of a shooting or alleged shooting as to what has actually
happened. Sometimes it may be a Constable or Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) attending a
routine report that first discovers that a shooting may have taken place.

This section of the training is aimed at all officers and PCSO’s who may find themselves at such an
incident, although it is recognised that once a potential incident such as this has been identified a more
senior officer may attend. Decisions made in the early moments of an incident can be just as crucial as
those made in slower time post the identification of a firearms incident-taking place.

It is therefore essential that this section of the training is viewed by all officers and staff who may find
themselves at such incidents. The training has been designed to follow the decision-making process and
place the audience in the position of the decision maker providing an interactive and engaging learning
experience.

Investigation:
It is Important that those tasked with investigating any type of crime involving the use of firearms fully
recognise the manner in which NABIS can be of practical assistance.

The training package emphasises to investigators the importance of thorough searches and forensic
retrieval at crime scenes, and illustrates how in the aftermath of a shooting timely submission of recovered
ballistic material to one of the NABIS hubs can lead to rapid linking of crimes and early detection of
offences.

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An investigator must always make their own individual decisions on how best to progress an investigation
and may face the dilemma of how to most effectively prioritise forensic submissions to NABIS from an
intelligence perspective in comparison to commissioning evidential work – this package addresses that
issue.

The DVD illustrates the benefit to be derived by using NABIS during investigations into individual cases,
and how it can develop our understanding of the importation, reactivation, storage and supply of firearms
to the criminal market. NABIS can guide both pro-active and reactive investigative work and needs to be
fully utilised accordingly.

SCENARIO 4

An investigator recovers several fired cartridge cases at the scene of a shooting incident. Depending on
the circumstances and information available, the investigator may choose to have all the cartridge cases
examined for trace evidence.

Alternatively, they may have pressing concerns that this incident could lead to a revenge attack where
a life could be lost. The response, on this occasion, may be to take one cartridge case chosen on the
advice of an expert, and submit it for an OCF check to determine the history of the firearm.

Although this approach compromises any potential for trace evidence, it might quickly reveal important
information on the firearm and lead to an intervention which saves a life. The investigator in this case
would still have several other cartridge cases suitable for trace evidence examination.

In either case, this is a policy decision for the investigating officer in consultation with the CSM and a
ballistics expert. The rationale behind the decision should always be recorded in the policy book or in an
investigation log.

Intelligence:
The training material and associated DVD shows a typical firearms incident from start to finish. Key to
success is the understanding and furthering of intelligence on both the force intelligence systems and
the NABIS Intelligence Database.

This section of the DVD shows officers and staff involved within an intelligence function at work using
their own systems, as well as NABIS Database. This is vital in order to provide the necessary footing
for intelligence personnel to understand not only the capabilities of NABIS but their requirements as
intelligence personnel in updating NABIS Database.

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Although there has been dedicated training for an ICT trainer within your organisation around the physical
use of the Database, this element of training looks to provide a more operationally based learning tool in
order to educate intelligence personnel in the day-to-day use of the system, its capability and limitations.

Conclusion:
The NABIS facilitated learning package has been designed to be as user friendly and as interactive as
possible in order that forces and agencies can deliver NABIS training easily, effectively and with minimum
disruption to operational service as possible. However it is vitally important you use this tool to educate
officers and staff to a standard that leaves them in the best possible position when dealing with a firearms
incident, whether that be as a call handler or as a Senior Investigating Officer

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FAQ’s
Q. Why do we need a National Ballistics Intelligence Service?
A. For many years now law enforcement agencies have been striving to find an effective means of sharing
intelligence about the criminal use of firearms in fast time. We need to ensure that links between incidents
where the same firearm has been used are identified quickly, that we are delivering a cost effective ballistic
comparison capability and that intelligence is widely available and comprehensive in order to focus our
strategic and tactical approach to tackling gun crime.

Q. What precisely will NABIS Deliver?

A. In brief terms NABIS will deliver:

• A complete registry of all recovered firearms and ammunition coming into police possession in England
and Wales.
• A ballistics comparison capability to link crimes and incidents within 24 to 48 hours in urgent cases.
• An associated intelligence Database to provide strategic and tactical intelligence capable of focusing law
enforcement activity.

This ‘Quick Guide’ should hopefully go someway to help in understanding NABIS. A comprehensive national
good practice document is available from NPIA for a more throughout explanation of NABIS.

Q. What are the financial implications to my organisation

A. NABIS is operated on a finance model agreed by ACPO Cabinet and council, this mean that financially
you have committed to support NABIS. In return NABIS provides all its capacities in a ‘free at point’ of
submission environment, this means that there are no limiting factors when you come to submit items,
receive intelligence or use the NABIS Database. A detailed break down of your financial commitments will
be sent to your single point of contact annually.

Q. What system needs to be in place in order to evaluate recovered ballistic items and submit
them to the NABIS hubs where appropriate?
A. You should have established a Local Clearing House (LCH) process as detailed within this booklet. Briefly
a LCH is a means of ensuring that all recovered ballistic material is centrally managed and recorded on the
registry function of the NABIS Database. Your force should:-

• Have implemented a system to ensure that items get from Officers and BCUs to the Clearing Houses and
then onto the registry.
• Made provision for storage arrangements.
• Ensured impact upon detained property records is evaluated.
• Established a central store for items.

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Q. What items need to be entered on the registry within NABIS Database?
A. Everything within reason. If you have an item that is of ballistic nature it should go onto the NABIS
Database, this includes items such as air weapons and BB guns.

Q: Will the database contain information on all legally held firearms such as shotguns?
A: NABIS will not require any legal firearms holders to surrender their weapons for test fires. However if a
firearms license is revoked or you believe that a legally held firearm has, or is being used for the purposes
of crime then it should seized and the weapon submitted to NABIS for analysis. As a matter of course all
legally held firearms are recorded in the National Firearms Licensing Management System.

Q: What happens to legally held firearms that have been stolen?

A: Any legally held firearms that are stolen should have their details entered into the Intelligence Systems
of the force that is responsible for the recording of that particular theft. An entry onto the NABIS Database
should be made referring to that item.

Q. Which of the three hubs will serve my organisation?

A.A map of the regions served by each hub is contained at Appendix B.

Q. How do we decide which items need to be sent to the NABIS hubs?

A.Use the submission criteria contained in Appendix A, this outlines what should be sent to a NABIS
hub and what shouldn’t. Remember if you believe it to have been used in crime and it falls outside the
submission criteria - send it! Note why you have done so on the Database but submit the item.

Q. How will we transport items from our force to the NABIS hubs
A. A comprehensive collection and delivery system has been provided for you. The details of this service are
contained within this booklet.

Q. Will the transportation service be secure and have continuity of evidence issues been
considered?
A. Yes the continuity of evidence is paramount along with the safe transportation of the items. Every effort
has been made to provide a fast, reliable and secure service for the transportation of ballistic items.

Q: During what hours will the hubs be open?

A: Initially the hubs will be open during normal office hours. However, there will be provision to provide a
service at the weekends when a high proportion of serious gun crime incidents occur. It is envisaged that
as the service develops, the opening hours of the laboratories will mirror the demands of the customer.

Q: Can the hub provide trace evidence recovery (TER) services?

A: At present, only the Central hub can offer TER services. The provision of this service is optional to forces
and as it is not covered by the subscription fee, there is a charge.

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Q: Do the hubs work to the same standards as other areas of forensic science?
A: The NABIS lead scientist has worked with the forensic regulator and other outside bodies to ensure all
work is done to appropriate standards. All three hubs will therefore be seeking accreditation by UKAS to ISO
17025 and looking to have hub staff accredited by the Council for the Registration Forensic Practitioners
(CRFP).

Q: Can I still obtain services from external forensic providers, or do I have to send everything to
the hub?
A: There is nothing to stop items being submitted to external forensic providers prior to submission to
NABIS, or in certain circumstances such as a domestic murder with a legally held firearm, an SIO may
decide that items will only be submitted to an external forensic provider. However, it is important to note
now that the Open Case Files are held at the NABIS Hubs, firearm-to-scene and scene-to-scene ballistic
links from previous shootings can only be provided by these hubs.

Q. What information needs to be entered on the NABIS Database?

A. A brief guide to the information relating to what should be included on NABIS Database is contained in
this booklet. A more comprehensive guide is contained in the NABIS good practice document available from
NPIA.

Q. How do I obtain a CONFIDENTIAL system like NABIS LIVE on my computer?

A. The system is made available by NPIA in Hendon across the CJX (secure connection) to forces and
is encrypted, just like ViSOR. As the system passes through the force IT firewall it is de-encrypted and
deployed within each force in accordance with local force arrangements. To this extent it is not possible to
prescribe from the centre how access will be provided locally but your force Network personnel will have a
model, which they can roll out.

Q. How do I access NABIS Database?

A. Having been provided with a computer which is capable of linking to NABIS Database, there are a few
points to cover off:

• The computer you are to use will need to be accredited by your force security officer according to the
accreditation document set that was published in early March.
• You will need to be suitably vetted by your force.
• You will need to confirm that you have attended a NABIS Database training course.
• You will need to complete an Application Form which is available from your force trainer or the
NABIS Team.
• Once the form is authorised by a relevant Superintendent or above then it will be sent to the NABIS
Database Administrator and you will be notified of your User ID and initial password.

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Q. Who in my force needs to use NABIS Database?
A. This is entirely dependent upon your local arrangements for managing recovered firearms and other
ballistic material as well as your intelligence processes and how you intend to link these business areas
together. It is envisaged that NABIS Database will be accessed in the main by Force Intelligence Bureaux,
Submissions personnel, gun crime investigators and staff at Local Clearing Houses (LCH’s). All personnel
employed at your Regional Hub will also have access to NABIS Database.

Q.In the aftermath of a crime how do I prioritise which ballistic items need to be submitted to
NABIS?
A.Because of the way NABIS is funded there is no additional cost implication at point of submission.
Therefore all ballistic material that fits the NABIS submission criteria, or which you feel could provide useful
information can and should be submitted.

Q.I am dealing with a murder and have recovered a range of ballistic material from the scene.
Some of this is likely to provide key evidence which I want to evaluate as soon as possible. Can
I send this material directly to an evidential service provider rather than NABIS?
A. It will always be an individual decision for the investigator as to how they prioritise the submission of
forensic material. NABIS provides 24 to 48 hour turnaround in urgent cases, which may result in links to
other crimes that afford fast time investigative opportunities. Evidential work takes considerably longer
than this so there may be real benefit in conducting Trace Evidence Recovery locally or at one of the NABIS
hubs and then submitting the item to NABIS, who will forward them to evidential service providers at your
request. In the event of any uncertainty you should contact the NABIS team for advice.

Q. If I am dealing with a sensitive case can I withhold information from the database, or even in
the most sensitive of cases submit items anonymously?
A. NABIS database is not an all inclusive system and much additional intelligence will be held on local
systems. The level of intelligence that is input is an individual decision, but forces are encouraged to
include as much as possible to make it meaningful. There is the facility to use the database as a flagging
system, or in extreme cases anonymise the detail by registering it through the central NABIS team. If in any
doubt please contact NABIS for advice.

Q. In addition to providing links between individual crimes how else will NABIS aid
investigators?
A. NABIS Database allows analysis of all ballistic and intelligence submissions to develop tactical and
strategic intelligence. This will be developed by the national firearms intelligence cell into products that can
be disseminated by NIM Tasking and Co-ordination processes at level 1 (to forces), level 2 (via RIU’S) and
level 3 (SOCA). This can drive investigations at all levels of criminality.

Q. How do I make contact with the NABIS Central Team.

A. You can make contact with the team via e-mail at ah_nabis@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk or on
0845 113 5000 extension 7630 5628.

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APPENDIX A
SUBMISSIONS CRITERIA

Staff recovering ballistic items, whether from an incident, seizure, find or surrender, should ensure they
follow their force procedure for submission to their LCH function. Each force LCH should submit the
following ballistic items to the NABIS forensic hub for examination:

• any firearm where the recovery is suspicious;

• any firearm that is suspected of having been used in crime;
• any firearm that has been ‘shortened’, e.g. Sawn-off shotgun;
• any bullet firing handgun;
• any selective–fire or fully automatic weapon such as sub-machine guns, assault rifles;
• any pressure bearing components of a firearm (excluding air weapons), e.g. barrel, revolver cylinder,
receiver;
• any disguised firearm;
• any centre-fire weapon that has been fitted with a sound moderator, or where the barrel has been
threaded to accept a sound moderator;
• any replica/imitation firearm, blank-firing gun, air gun or de-activated firearm that appears to have been
modified to discharge a projectile(s);
• any blank-firing weapon where there is specific intelligence of it having been discharged when used in
crime, and where a cartridge case or projectile was recovered from the crime scene;
• any air weapon which is potentially subject to the Firearms (Dangerous Air Weapons) Rules 1969,
or where there is specific intelligence of it having been discharged when used in a crime, and where a
projectile was recovered from that crime scene;
• any metallic centre-fire cartridge case recovered, unless the area is a recognised firing range;
• any fired bullet or bullet fragment found at the scene of a crime or in suspicious circumstances;
• any shotgun cartridge cases recovered in urban areas;
• any firearm, ammunition or related components flagged as being of interest by the submitting force’s
Intelligence Bureau.

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APPENDIX B
HUB MAP

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