Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Kenya Police: Our Fake Bomb Detectors Are Real

Posted by timothy on from the but-how-are-the-elephant-detectors? dept.

First time accepted submitter NF6X writes "Following the conviction of British conman James McCormick for selling fake bomb detectors which were in fact rebadged novelty golf ball divining rods, Nairobi police chief Benson Githinji stated to reporters that his department's fake bomb detectors are serviceable, and contributed towards a recent elimination of successful grenade attacks."

17 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. Works just fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    1) Give intern new shiny bomb detector
    2) Send intern to walk around field for a while
    3) Intern blows up
    4) Success - bomb detected!
    5) Added bonus - bomb removed!

  2. Re:no testing I guess? by jythie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Problem is confirmation bais is really easy to sell on people, so they honestly believe they did test it out and it worked.

  3. Re:no testing I guess? by Hatta · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Police work in any country is more about the appearance of security than actual security. It doesn't matter if it works. It only matters if it keeps people calm.

    I'm not advocating this as the way it should be, just the way it is. We'd all actually be safer if we switched to evidence based policing. But then the government couldn't get away with shit like the War on Drug Users.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  4. Thailand too.... by ShawnDoc · · Score: 5, Interesting

    About 2 years ago, when it came to light these bomb detectors were totally fake, the Thai government, who has bought a whole bunch of these came out insisting they were real and worked. My hunch is there are no "real" portable bomb detectors (other than a trained dog), and government middle managers under pressure to buy bomb detectors bought the only thing on the market claiming to do that regardless of whether it worked or not. They knew it didn't work, but the politicians further up the chain didn't care, they just wanted to be able to say they'd purchased bomb detectors and people would be safe. Alternately, maybe James was just really good at structuring kickbacks and bribes to the decision makers. Its not like Thailand, Iraq or Kenya's governments are corruption free.

    1. Re:Thailand too.... by Dahamma · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah, if there was such thing as a *reliable* portable bomb detector, you'd think US law enforcement would stop detonating people's "suspicious" laptops and grocery bags left on the street.

  5. Won't work. by msauve · · Score: 5, Funny

    Didn't you read the summary? It's a fake bomb detector. It won't detect real bombs.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    1. Re:Won't work. by interval1066 · · Score: 4, Funny

      The shining endorsement is by a people who also believe in sympathetic magic and possession by evil spirits. Of course the bomb detectors work; you just have to activate them by burning insense in a slot on the side of the detector and appealing to "J'mbibwe", god of bombs and bush babies.

      --
      Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
    2. Re:Won't work. by ohms · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Firstly, there isn't much different between believing in sympathetic magic/possession by evil spirits and the belief in a supreme being who directs our fate every day. My point? Everywhere in the world, you'll find "a people" who believe in otherworldly crap. Secondly, if you think the police spokesman firmly believes the bomb tthing works, then you're sorely mistaken. This is probably what happened (trust me, I have first hand information on this kind of stuff): 1. The British dude was able to get in contact with someone holding some Kenya government checkbook. 2. The British dude worked out a mutually beneficial trade. Say, allocate $60,000 for each dud, pay the Briton $40,000, and have the facilitator get the $20,000 kickback. 3. ?????? 4. PROFIT!!! Really, you're naïve to think that someone bought the scanner purely on its technical merits, without regard to how much money could be had from kickbacks.

  6. "Security theatre" for real? by kheldan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm taking this story to mean that they've got these fake, non-functional bomb/drug/illicit substance detectors, and they know they're fake, but "officially" they work great, thus they use the fiction of their functionality to support their "finding" of said illicit substances, where in reality they used methods that otherwise would not be admissable in court; it's a con-job turned on it's head. I can't condone it, if I'm correct then they're completely corrupt, but it's still clever of them, if rather scary that any police force could be allowed to function that way.

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:"Security theatre" for real? by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They would be useful, even if fake, if terrorists thought them real and skipped attempts.

      FBI and friends use lie detectors even though they are hogwash. I assume it's for the same reason: to scare people rather than use as a physical filter. Only the high-level strategists need know it doesn't work -- the plebe agents don't.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  7. Someone is sweating by paiute · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think we can figure out from the summary alone who took kickback money to buy these things.

    --
    If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
  8. Re:I just don't know. by chaodyn · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't think they have any usefulness... they don't have any electronic parts, batteries, or such - they use a paper card to "select" what you are searching for - it's basically a plastic handle with a metal antenna not connected to anything. It's a divining rod, and that's all. I think the buyers should have realized something was fishy when the manufacturer said they were powered by static electricity of the user "walking around."

  9. Re:I just don't know. by lxs · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You know, about 15 years ago I worked in an electronics store. For an April fools joke I once stuck an antenna and an LED in a mains plug and put it in the shop window as a "wireless extension cord - 29.95" I got quite a few interested customers for this item. From what I have picked up from the coverage of the trial these devices are about as sophisticated as my five minute handywork.
    I can build one and sell it to you for an inflation adjusted price. You could draw the conclusion from my post that I'm selling you a bunch of junk, but have you tested it? No.

    Come to think of it, your post reminds me of the poor sods coming in for a 555 timer IC a 9V battery clip and a couple of passive components, convinced that they could build a cancer defeating device described in some quack book. No use in arguing with them but I felt sad after they'd gone, and bad for taking their money.

  10. Re:no testing I guess? by nitehawk214 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Problem is confirmation bais is really easy to sell on people, so they honestly believe they did test it out and it worked.

    You are only saying that because you want people to believe in confirmation bias.

    --
    I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
  11. Denial by dkleinsc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's not just a river with sources in Kenya.

    --
    I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
  12. Here's how they work... by Beorytis · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Two ways they might work:
    1. Officer using detector is forced to get up off his butt and wave the magic wand around. In the process he notices the bomb.
    2. Potential bomber sees officer with magic gadget and decides to bomb somewhere else.
  13. Re:Slashdot criminal activity... apk by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 4, Funny

    STOP REPLYING TO THESE. The only reason I can see them is because you reply and then get modded up which brings the entire post into my view.

    So true. Mod parent up!