Vehicle-mounted device to detect explosives during CWG

Vehicle-mounted sophisticated equipment will be used during the Commonwealth Games next year to inspect containers without opening them to check whether explosives and weapons are being smuggled into the city.

Delhi police will hire a 'Mobile Cargo Container Inspection Equipment' for a period between September 10 and October 20 next year, which is expected to give them an edge in securing the city, a senior police official said.

"The scanning equipment will consist of a self-contained independently operated unit. It will use electronic means to perform non-intrusive inspection of packed cargo without the need to open the cargo containers," the official said.

It will help in determining the presence and location of objects like explosives, weapons, drugs, organic compounds, flammable gases, poisonous gases, spontaneous combustible and other contraband items in any vehicle.

The equipment will also enable the police to compare the image and the contents described in the documents so as to discern attempts to ship hazardous or dangerous goods, the official said.

"The vehicles will be arranged in a line. The scanner will first take an image, the on-board operators will review it and inspect image data recorded as the mobile scanner moves along the object under inspection line," he said. The scanner has  the ability to scan objects fully from a height of 0.3 metres above the ground up to a height of 4.5 metres. It will also have the capacity to scan objects up to width of 2.8 metres and up to 18 metres in length.

"This equipment can penetrate minimum 250 mm and up to 300 mm of steel. This means that we are looking for a system which can produce a clear image of 25 mm thick lead brick which is placed behind 250 mm steel block," the official said.

Police expect to check at least 20 containers in an hour using this scanner. At least 250 records could be stored in a single time for later image analysis and interpretation.

Delhi police has already floated a tender for hiring the equipment, the official said.

The firm which will be selected for providing the equipment will also have to provide operators and image analysts to the police.

"We have told the bidders that they should be minimum a graduate in science or have diploma in electronics or computer engineering," the official said adding, the equipment will be sent back to the country of origin once the Games are over.  

An engineer of contractual firm will also remain present at the place of installation of equipment during Commonwealth Games to attend to complaints and to ensure its smooth functioning.