Skip to content

NABIS (National Ballistics Intelligence Service)

Definition

The UK agency responsible for managing ballistic evidence including GSR analysis, operated by the National Police Chiefs' Council. Issues guidance on GSR collection, analysis and interpretation for police forces in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Related terms

5% HNO3 Swab
A cotton or polyester swab pre-wetted with 5% nitric acid, used to collect dissolved GSR for atomic absorption spectrometry or ICP-MS. Recovers...
Carbon-Tape Stub (Tri-Mark)
A standard SEM-format aluminium or plastic pin stub bearing conductive double-sided carbon tape, used to collect GSR from hands and surfaces for...
Environmental Control Stub
A blank carbon-tape stub collected from the collection environment (table surface, custody cell, vehicle seat) to establish background particle levels in the...
Persistence Half-Life (GSR on Hands)
The time after which approximately half of the initial particle count has been lost from the hand surface. Published studies (Cardinetti 2004,...
Secondary Transfer
The movement of a glass fragment from a primary surface (which contacted the broken glass) to a secondary surface (which contacted the...
Tertiary Transfer
Transfer of GSR from a secondary surface (a person who received particles via handshaking) to a third surface. Documented at low levels...

Explained in

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.