Li Y.H*, Lim T.B, G. Goh, Chow Y.S, Lim Chin Chin
ISFE, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10 Nov 2009 (oral presentation)
[abstract]
The Vehicle Paint Database (VPD) is a collaboration project which started in 2008 between HSA’s Forensic Chemistry and Physics Laboratory (FCPL) and the Singapore Police Force’s Bomb & Explosive Investigation Division (BEID). The project aims to create the first local vehicle paint database for criminal and counter-terrorism investigations. Unknown paint fragments recovered from car bomb attacks or hit-and-run traffic accidents can be searched against the local database for possible hits. The BEID-HSA VPD uses paint samples collected progressively by BEID from local repair shops to build up a local database. Analysis of the physical characteristics and chemical compositions of the samples are performed in HSA and entered into the database. Currently, the VPD has 370 samples, of which 200 have been analysed. Vehicle paint generally consists of 3-4 layers of paint. The primer layer has been found to be most distinctive, and when all layers of an unknown paint are searched against the database, the specific vehicle make, model, colour and vehicle part can be obtained. Together with other types of evidence, VPD has helped SPF to identify the make and model of a suspect vehicle for an actual case in October 2008.