In with a bullet

A new bullet-tagging technology being developed in the UK could give forensic teams a robust new tool in the fight against gun crime.

The breakthrough has been achieved by a multidisciplinary team from Brighton, Brunel, Cranfield, Surrey and York universities, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Project partners include the Forensic Science Service, BAE Systems and coatings manufacturer Andura.

The tags, which measure 30 microns in diameter, are applied to gun cartridges by being embedded in cartridge coatings made from polylactic acid, sucrose ester and tetrahydrofuran. They then attach themselves to the hands or gloves of anyone handling the cartridge and are said to be very difficult to wash off.

A portion of the tag remains on the cartridge even after it has been fired, which could make it possible to establish a definitive forensic link between a cartridge fired during a crime and whoever handled it.