Small Arms Ammunition Field Tracing 2

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Small Arms Ammunition Field Tracing 2

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Types of Sampling

• Attributed sampling
• The person recording the ammunition does so while
  the user of the ammunition is present. The
  recording party knows that the ammunition in
  question belongs to a particular person or
  group.
• Unattributed sampling
• The person recording the ammunition does so
  without complete knowledge of who the user is,
  and does not know to whom the ammunition
  belongs.

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Attributed Sampling

• Records will ideally be labelled according to the
  unit of analysis
• The unit may be related to
• Individuals
• Groups of people
• Locations

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Attributed Sampling

• Examples of acquiring user-attributed data
• Record ammunition details as users unload weapons
• Record details at handover during disarmament
  tasks
• Record ammunition stored in a central storage
  facility
• Record details from scene of crime/accident

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Unattributed Sampling

• Used ammunition recovered from a scene but it is
  unclear who fired the ammunition and when
• Ammunition from a disarmament programme but it is
  unclear where the ammunition came from
• Ammunition found in an abandoned cache
• Records compiled from photographs or physical
  samples collected by a third party

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Unattributed Sampling
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Prior Safety and Security

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Assessing the Security Situation in the Sampling
Location

• Restrict tracing activities to normal activities
• Do not visit a location unless
• Have a detailed knowledge of the security
  situation
• They can partner with an individual or group that
  does

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Locating the Appropriate Research Partner

• Local (preferably same ethnic/linguistic/political
  )
• Known and respected by the community
• Fully briefed on research activities and on
  sideto offer
• Access
• Reassurance
• Safety
• Communication

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The Role of National and Sub-National Authorities

• A practitioners failure to declare the nature of
  the research in advance and obtain official
  approval for it could result in his/her arrest or
  imprisonment.

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Notifying Appropriate Authorities in Advance

• Identify the relevant authorities
• Draft a statement nature of work and reasons
• Visit relevant authorities
• Obtain a formal letter of accreditation from
  those authorities

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Operational Safety and Security

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Respecting Interviewee/Ammunition User Concerns

• Practitioners should be prepared to
• Abandon an interview if necessary
• Return data to interviewee and promise not to
  use it
• Indicate in advance to the interviewee that
  either of these things are acceptable to the
  interviewer

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Reassuring Interviewees/Ammunition Users

• Honesty is the best policy
• Explain the project in sensitive way
• Reassure ammunition users and interviewees

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Maintaining a Discrete Presence

• Inform everyone who is likely to observe
  activities occurring
• Conduct activities away from casual observers
• Avoid roads/routes where unconnected people are
  likely to pass by

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Weapons and Ammunition Safety in Groups

• Choose a location that encourages order
• Encourage people to remain still and quiet
• Try to dissuade people from passing weapons
  around among themselves
• Dissuade people from inappropriately handling or
  pointing weapons
• Leave if these conditions cannot be controlled

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Weapons and Ammunition Safety in Storage
Facilities

• Avoid sampling in the following circumstances
• Any item of explosive light weapons ammunition,
  unless permitted to do so by a qualified ATO.
• Depot physical appearance suggests poor
  maintenance
• If ammunition shows signs of corrosion or damage
• Items are piled together, rather than orderly
  stored
• If small calibre cartridge-based ammunition is
  stored alongside larger calibre explosive
  ammunition

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Questions