The work on the installation of equipment of the fingerprint examination laboratory, the creation of which became possible due to the Government of the People’s Republic of China, has been completed today. The equipment was supplied due to grant assistance provided by the Agreement on Technical and Economic Cooperation of September 18, 2011.

On the basis of the abovementioned Agreement, on July 29, 2021 the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the supply of equipment for fingerprint examination laboratory for a total amount of 1 million yuan (more than 140 000 US dollars) was signed. Among the presented equipment, first of all, it is necessary to note the cyanoacrylate chamber and ninhydrin chamber (or DFO display chamber).

The cyanoacrylate chamber is designed to detect fingerprints by physico-chemical method – cyanoacrylate vapors. This method is effective for so- called “old” traces (when a significant period of time is passed from the moment of formation of the trace to processing) and for difficult surfaces (various types of leather materials).

The ninhydrin chamber (or DFO display cabinet) allows to use the express method of detecting fingerprints on such porous surfaces as various types of paper and cardboard, plywood, untreated (unvarnished, unpainted) wood and etc. after their treatment with solution of ninhydrin, DFO, indandion. This method allows to dry objects equally at a constant (preset) temperature and humidity, and, as a result, reduce the time for detecting fingerprints without losing their quality.

Various types of light sources, the so-called sources of expert light, having a sufficiently large range of radiation from white light to light with a wavelength of 510 Nm, allowing to enhance the contrast of the detected fingerprints were also provided to Belarusian forensic experts. They work off-line, i.e. they are portable, which will allow to use them during investigative actions, as well as during crime scene investigation together with materials of the case ”Forensic examiner“.

The automated software complex represented as a platform with lights and a camera for shooting fingerprints on photocopying materials and objects with further software processing using a graphic editor, which will significantly improve the quality of traces by changing the color background of the surface of the object, removing any background drawings and will significantly facilitate the work of an expert when working with traces was added to the list of equipment.

It is also worth noting among the presented equipment the device for scanning fingerprints, which allows to get prints by an inkless method. It is especially important for obtaining fingerprints of persons with certain types of papillary pattern changes, connected with age-related changes, etc.
Obtaining this equipment will facilitate the implementation of Chinese technologies in terms of fixing and seizing handprints on copying materials, and will also allow detecting handprints not only on many types of surfaces (metal, glass, polymer, leather, cardboard, paper, etc.), but also on surfaces having various conditions (wet, sticky, fat) and structure (porous, non-porous, glossy).
Also the latest equipment will optimize the time of fingerprint examinations, which corresponds to the main tasks of the State Forensic Examination Committee of the Republic of Belarus.

Chinese colleagues from the Institute of Forensic Science of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China: LIU Huan – the Head of the Department of Fingerprint Identification Technology and CHEN Zilong – the technical specialist of the Department of Fingerprint Identification Technology visited the State Forensic Examination Committee to set up the provided equipment and to train the Committee’s specialists.

At the end of the visit the Deputy Chairman of the State Committee Alexander Lashin thanked colleagues from the People’s Republic of China for fruitful cooperation and expressed hope for further development of bilateral cooperation between forensic experts of both countries.