10 September 2013, Islamabad - Officials from the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) and Customs were trained in the use of state-of-the-art testing equipment for narcotics and chemicals at the ANF Academy in Islamabad in August.
Over the course of two weeks, six training courses of two days each were conducted with a total of 90 participants. The course taught the trainees to set up the machine, ensure it is functioning properly and conduct tests efficiently. Also, participants were trained in how to distinguish good results from bad results, and to separate results in case of mixtures.
The HazMatID 360 is equipment that identifies thousands of substances, solid or liquid, using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). By comparing the molecular fingerprint of the tested substance with the data loaded in the equipment's library, the HazMatID can give results that are nearly 100% accurate. With 10 kg, the machine is portable and can easily be brought to a location for on-the-spot chemical testing.
