Sweaty criminals with bad diets prone to new forensic technology

by Stevie Smith - Sep 16 2008, 06:06

Bad news for light-fingered criminals operating on a high-salt diet this week as a new method of forensic detection could soon result in improved rates of capture and incarceration.

More pointedly, Dr. John Bond, a researcher at the University of Leicester, has created a revolutionary fingerprint technique that focuses on detecting the corrosive sweat residue left by prints on vulnerable metal surfaces.

According to Dr. Bond, who also serves as a scientific support officer for the Northamptonshire Police, criminals who consume a high intake of processed foods, generally rich in salt content, are much more likely to have their prints taken during a crime scene investigation.

The new methodology enables the visualisation of fingerprints and is based on gauging how the residual constituents of a print can corrode a metal surface, even after a criminal has wiped it clean. 

And, beyond its standard crime scene applications, the technique could even be utilised to help scientists lift a usable print from a spent bullet casing, which ordinarily would have had any evidence wiped due to extreme heat during firing.

Speaking at a recent forensic science conference held at the University of Leicester, Dr. Bond said he is currently engaged in preliminary talks with colleagues as to whether the salt levels in a recorded fingerprint could be further analysed to amass a “sweat profile” that would reveal more details about the print’s owner.

“We are currently in talks with the University of Leicester to see if there is scope to investigate sweat itself and whether it can identify the type of person who left that sweat mark,” said Dr. Bond.

“Important for us is how the salt varies but there is potential to investigate other elements to describe the kind of person who left the mark,” he added. “It would give lifestyle information that, whilst nowhere near as good as identifying individuals with their fingerprints, it is still very good for police if they have got nothing else to go on.”

Dr. Bond also noted that his new forensic application could prove extremely useful during terrorist investigations that “tend to obliterate forensic evidence.” By specifically looking for salt corrosion, investigators could assess sweat marks on a piece of metal or a bomb fragment to help visualise a potentially invaluable fingerprint.

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