Dubai Police step into the world of CSI

Criminals can be tracked with technology that identifies them by the way they walk.

DUBAI // Dubai Police say new technology allows them to track criminals just by the way they walk.

Investigators identified a handbag thief by analysing his gait after other methods failed.

Col Ahmed Al Muhairi, acting director of the General Department of Forensic Evidence and Criminology in Dubai, said kinetic footprint technology can help to identify a suspect from their body movement.

In the absence of conventional evidence such as fingerprints, Dubai Police can use security camera footage converted into three-dimensional images, and if matched to movement patterns of a suspect, this can provide hard evidence.

Dr Hamad Al Awar, a kinetic footprinting specialist, said: “A suspect was watching a young woman near the elevator in a building, then sneaked up behind her, grabbed her purse and fled.

“The surveillance camera in the area did not show the suspect’s facial features clearly, but the criminal investigation department was still able to provide evidence to incriminate him.”

Dr Al Awar said the suspect was not wearing shoes on his way to the crime scene and was flat-footed. Forensics analysts converted the footage into 3-D images using angles and measurements, which enabled them to make a match with a suspect.

Dr Al Awar said the science behind kinetic footprinting demonstrated that every human has a way of moving that is unique to them.

Dr James G Kent, a world renowned forensic kinesiologist in Los Angeles, California, said that in the US evidence of gait alone was not enough to convict a suspect.

“Think of this as a jigsaw puzzle. The gait analysis could be a couple of pieces of the puzzle and it can help put the puzzle together, but without proper application then this would just be speculation,” Dr Kent said.

But the investigation fired the Dubai public’s imagination.

"Our city is a frontrunner when it comes to technology that enhances safety. This seems like an episode of CSI. It's reassuring to know that the police are not settling for conventional ways of investigation and are embracing new technologies," said Walid Tannous, a Lebanese retail manager.

Sumitra Chandran, an executive assistant in Dubai Media City, said: “This sends a strong message that there are other ways for criminals to get caught.”