Iraq has spent $85m on ‘useless’ bomb detectors made in Britain

Iraq’s parliament is investigating ‘bomb detectors’ sold by a British company after claims they do not work, it emerged Saturday.

Iraqi security forces have spent $85million (£51million) on the devices, which are made in Somerset, over the past two years.

They are basically made from a telescopic radio aerial and plastic handle but are sold for up to $60,000 (£35,000) each.

Officials at checkpoints across the country use them to screen for suicide bombers and other explosives. But on October 25, suicide bombers drove through checkpoints equipped with the scanners and went on to attack government buildings, killing 155 people.

The Iraqi parliament is looking at the detectors after concerns were raised by Major-General Richard J. Rowe Junior who oversees Iraqi police training for the U.S. His reservations were revealed in an article in the New York Times earlier this month, where he said: ‘I don’t believe there’s a magic wand that can detect explosives.

‘If there was, we would all be using it. I have no confidence that these work. I have no confidence that these work.’

Iraqi MP Nadeem al-Jabiri confirmed to The Times that the security and defense committee were looking into the concerns. The Iraqi government bought the devices despite the manufacturers saying they worked on the same basis as divining rods.

American magician James Randi has said they are a ‘blatant fraud’ and offered the firm, ATSC Ltd, $1million if it can prove they work but it has declined. Randi said: ‘ADE651 is a useless quack device which cannot perform any other function than separating naive persons from their money.’

‘It’s a fake, a scam, a swindle, and a blatant fraud. Prove me wrong and take the million dollars.’ ATSC’s managing director Jim McCormick, who used to be a police officer, invented the detectors a decade ago. They contain no working parts and the unit is joined by a cable to a plastic holder which contains a plastic card.

These are supposed to be ready programmed with an electromagnetic ‘resonance’ of what needs to be detected. They work in a similar way to security tags on shop items, through a ‘proximity’ device, according to Mr McCormick.

He told The Times: ‘We have been dealing with doubters for ten years. One of the problems we have is that the machine does look a little primitive. We are working on a new model that has flashing lights.’

He said other customers include Saudi Arabia, Indian police, a Belgian drug squad and a correctional facility in Hong Kong.

(Source: dailymail.co.uk)

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