CNB unveils next-gen reporting centre
Central Narcotics Bureau reveals experimental initiatives at workplan seminar
For suspected drug offenders, their brains could turn out to be their worst enemies. A new system developed by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) will use the brainwaves of such offenders against themselves.
Called the Advanced Deception Detection System (ADDS), it was one of several experimental initiatives showcased at CNB's workplan seminar yesterday afternoon.
The system can detect experiential knowledge from subjects' brainwaves, even if they remain silent.
Experiential knowledge is memory from first-person experience of acts that one has previously done.
ADDS is an application of electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, a test that records the electrical signals of the brain.
Pilot tests on actual cases are slated for the fourth quarter of this year, although the system has already been tested internally on over 40 CNB officers with 85 per cent accuracy.
There is no date yet on when it will be officially introduced.
Mr Amrin Amin, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Health, who was guest of honour at the event, cited the case of a woman arrested in February for drug trafficking while caring for a toddler.
The New Paper reported in March that the boy was temporarily cared for by CNB officers, who fed him and changed his diapers before handing him over to the Child Protective Service.
Mr Amrin added that the boy's biological mother was arrested last week after evading the police by changing houses.
He said: "She is now four months pregnant, and despite that, she was tested positive again for drug abuse.
"To ensure our children in Singapore can grow up in a clean, drug-free environment, we must continue to be tough on drugs."
Another major innovation unveiled at the seminar was the Next-Generation Reporting Centre (NGRC), which is slated to go into operation from 2020.
Currently, urine tests to ensure drug supervisees stay drug-free are conducted manually.
But Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dinesh Kumar Rai said the NGRC will automate registration of drug supervisees and processing of urine samples.
The latter, achieved with two robots, is a world first, according to CNB.
DSP Dinesh, who is the NGRC project manager, said: "Officers will not have to manually transfer urine to multiple sample bottles, reducing the chance of cross-contamination."
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