Doing more harm than good - the ADE-651
What, you may ask, is an ADE-651?
From the
BBC News:
Export ban for useless 'bomb detector'
The UK government has announced a ban on the export to Iraq and Afghanistan of some so-called "bomb detectors".
It follows an investigation by the BBC's Newsnight programme which found that one type of "detector" made by a British company cannot work.
The Iraqi government has spent $85m on the ADE-651 and there are concerns that they have failed to stop bomb attacks that have killed hundreds of people.
The ban on the ADE-651 and other similar devices starts next week.
Sidney Alford, a leading explosives expert who advises all branches of the military, told Newsnight the sale of the ADE-651 was "absolutely immoral".
And a bit more on the device:
The ADE-651 detector has never been shown to work in a scientific test.
There are no batteries and it consists of a swivelling aerial mounted to a hinge on a hand-grip. Critics have likened it to a glorified dowsing rod.
While trying to find more information, I ran across a number of blogs about various fraudulent explosive detectors that have been marketed. Here is one:
The ADE651/GT200/Alpha6/SniffexPlus, all a Danger to life with some wonderful news -- from the
London Times:
Head of ATSC 'bomb detector' company arrested on suspicion of fraud
The boss of a British company that has sold million of dollars worth of �bomb detectors� to Iraq�s security forces has been arrested on suspicion of fraud.
Jim McCormick, 53, the managing director of ATSC which is based in a former dairy in Sparkford, Somerset, has been questioned by detectives from Avon and Somerset Police after a complaint that he misrepresented the devices.
In November, Mr McCormick, a former Merseyside police officer, told The Times that his devices, which consist of little more than a telescopic antenna on a molded plastic handle, are able to detect explosives in the same way as a dowsing rod finds water.
Thousands of the devices are in use at military and police check points across Baghdad where they are used to search vehicles and pedestrians for explosives. In recent months hundreds of people have died after car bombers were able to penetrate the security cordon supposed to protect the centre of the Iraqi capital.
Good riddance -- I hope he is sued to within an inch of his life by family members of the bombing victims...
Posted by DaveH at January 23, 2010 7:24 PM