Merged [Ed] Get involved detecting the ade 651 detector / Jim McCormick arrested

[Questioninggeller]

Here's the link:

'Bomb detector' maker Jim McCormick arrested
Saturday, 23 January 2010
BBC



Jim McCormick sells the hand-held detectors from his offices in Somerset
The director of a company which sold a bomb-detecting device to 20 countries, including Iraq, has been arrested.

ATSC's Jim McCormick, 53, was detained on Friday on suspicion of fraud by misrepresentation, Avon and Somerset police said. He has since been bailed.
...

Full: BBC

 

[Brian-M]

I just saw this on SBS News on TV. I'm glad someone's beaten me to [posting about] it.

The whole thing's just crazy.

The Iraqi government has spent US$85m (£52m) on the hand-held detectors, now used at most checkpoints in Baghdad.

It is understood Iraq paid about US$40,000 for each device. No Western government uses them.

There's no way McCormick couldn't have known they're useless, and given how many hundred of people have died from the bombs these detectors have failed to detect, I hope he's put in jail for a very long time.

 

[armageddonman]

http://www.ade651.com/datostecnicosin.html

From the manufacturer's website:

Detection Range (in Tests)

☻ Above ground Up to 650 meters
in ideal conditions
☻ From Aircraft Up to 5000 meters (3+miles)
☻ Under Water Up to 30 meters (100+ feet)
☻ Underground Up to 10 meters (30+ feet)

☻ Power Electrostatic500 - 3000V min) Readings taken by Electrometer
to ensure proper power levels.

☻ Signal Processing: Attraction input to moving directional barDetection at 90° across Operator's body.
☻ Calibration: Not required. Operator tests equipment prior to use by detecting a sample substance. Regular normal cleaning recommended.
☻ Detection Modes: Ion like-charged fluctuation, Passive receive

How utterly incompetent are those agencies who bought this crap?

 

[Stray Cat]

How utterly incompetent are those agencies who bought this crap?

I don't know, but at the moment I'm working on developing a Bullsh!t Detector that works on the same principals as the bomb detector.
I'm going to make sure non of the agencies involved with being ripped off by useless, fraudulent, dangerous, devices are ever caught 'off guard' again.
All they have to do is use my device (available for only £4,500 each + P+P) on any salesman that walks into their offices and they will soon be able to pick out the conmen.... errrr.... after I've left with the money order/cash/cheque.

 

[Brian-M]

I don't recall them saying that McCormick had been arrested - but they couldn't find him for their report.

I just saw it on SBS news about an hour ago, but I couldn't find it on their website. Here's a link to the BBC news instead: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8476381.stm

There's also a thread just started about his arrest: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165515

 

[Ashles]

Director of Fake Bomb Detectr company arrested - good

A man set up a company selling fake bomb detectors to Iraq.

God knows how many lives this piece of scum has cost. They should charge him with more than fraud.

Full story

Mr McCormick has said the device, sold from offices in Sparkford, Somerset, used special electronic cards slotted into it to detect explosives.

But a BBC Newsnight investigation reported that a computer laboratory said the card it examined contained only a tag used by shops to prevent theft.

There are concerns the detectors have failed to stop bomb attacks which have killed hundreds of people.



The device consists of a swivelling aerial mounted to a hinge on a hand-grip. It does not operate by battery, instead promotional material says it is powered only by the user's static electricity.

Basically it is a dowsing rod with a security tag card attached to it.

The question should be how it was allowed to ever have been sold in the fist place.

 

[Salerio]

Ah, I was going to post this yesterday myself and didn't get round to looking until today. I'm glad someone has.

It's also been announced that Lord Mandelson is asking the Depratment for Business to ban the export of the devices to Afghanistan and Iraq in order to protect the "boys". Heck it's taken them long enough to finally do something about it.

It's made The Times http://preview.tinyurl.com/ydryq7j

Mr McCormick told The Times that his device was being criticised because of its crude appearance.

He added: “We have been dealing with doubters for ten years. One of the problems we have is that the machine does look a little primitive. We are working on a new model that has flashing lights.”

Flashing lights eh? Well that'll impress 'em. They've made $52M from this scam, I wonder what finally made the powers-that-be take some notice. I'll bet it was because Iraqi security guards were keeping letting bombers through that were blowing up soldiers.

 

[PaulJ]

For those who can watch BBC iPlayer, the Newsnight report is viewable here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00q9hx6/Newsnight_22_01_2010/

 

[Ashles]

How utterly incompetent are those agencies who bought this crap?

Couldn't agree more with that question.

How on earth does any agency spend that many millions on something that crucial to safety without ever caring even slightly if it works?

Someone in Iraq needs to be in colossal trouble as well.

 

[Techowiz]

Couldn't agree more with that question.

How on earth does any agency spend that many millions on something that crucial to safety without ever caring even slightly if it works?

Someone in Iraq needs to be in colossal trouble as well.

This is an easy question to answer, the amount of bribes involved in this contract ensured a very smooth passage to purchase.
Please remember this has nothing to do whether it works or not, no-one involved was at all interested, all they were concerned about was how much in kickback they were getting.
Watch out for The New York Times tommorrow they are doing a followup story to this saga.
regards

 

[Dubious Dick]

At last...

For some of you who are now catching up with this sorry tale, some of us have been running a campaign against this since Randi challenged McCormick back in 2008. Special mention to Techowiz for his sterling work!!

Let's hope McCormick goes down and has the proceeds of his crimes removed pronto.

Now we are after Gary Bolton at Global Technical, and his equally useless GT200. This guy used to be a partner of McCormick with the Mole. Someone in the U.S. might also like to track down Robert Balais who was also involved in the Mole.

In the U.K. we also have the purveyors of the Alpha 6 and the PSD 2.

In Germany there is David Vollmar who resurrected SNIFFEX. Go get 'em.

 

[Wrathernaut]

Good News: A Blow to the ADE-651/Sniffex

Exports of the ADE-651 has been banned. The inventor, was imprisoned, but is out on bond right now.

I'd much prefer him to be sent to Iraq and put on trial for every life damage or eliminated due to a weapon or bomb getting through a checkpoint manned with one of these fraud devices.

Death or life inside an Iraqi prison, with transferring all his assets into the purchase of backscatter sensors and victim's funds would seem an appropriate punishment. Unfortunately, we know all too well he'll get a multi-million dollar fine, leaving him with a substantial profit in his pocket.

Can't post the URL since I don't post here often, but you can search google news for "Bomb detectors banned" and should get it.

EDIT: Looks like I wasnt' first with this. Other thread has more info and links.

 

[Taz]

Leave it to the experts

Last month, a senior Iraqi officer involved in bomb-prevention defended the ADE-651.

Major General Jehad al-Jabiri, who appeared at a press conference with Mr McCormick following the December explosions, said he knew more about bombs than the Americans:

"Whether it's magic or scientific, what I care about is it detects bombs," he said.

The expert has spoken!

 

[Wrathernaut]

Definitely should be charged with negligent homicide, several hundred counts.

Life in an Iraqi prison would make me smile. Making sure his entire estate gets sold off and put into bomb-sniffing dogs and backscatter units would make me even happier.

 

[Rrose Selavy]

This is beyond stupid.

Some Iraqi officials are insisting that a controversial bomb detection device works, despite a BBC inquiry in which experts said the item was useless. Britain has banned exports of the ADE-651 and the director of the company selling them was arrested and bailed.
But the device is still being used at checkpoints all over Baghdad.
Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, whose department bought $85m of the devices, said the ADE-651 had detected 16,000 bombs, including 700 car bombs.

"The thing is, the instrument is being operated by a user," he said.
"Not all those who use the instrument are fully trained, the user needs to be alert and adept at using it."

Another explanation for the current controversy came from a senior Iraqi interior ministry official, Assistant Deputy Minister General Tareq al-Asl, interviewed by the newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.
"The reason the director of the company was arrested was not because the device doesn't work, but because he refused to divulge the secret of how it works to the British authorities, and the Americans before them," the general was quoted as saying.
"I have tested it in practice and it works effectively and 100% reliably."

More here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8477601.stm

 

[walthrup48]

For some of you who are now catching up with this sorry tale, some of us have been running a campaign against this since Randi challenged McCormick back in 2008.

Details/links please!

 

[ohms]

Details/links please!

There's this post over on UK Skeptics forums and more info in that thread.

 

[zooterkin]

There's this post over on UK Skeptics forums and more info in that thread.

From that thread, worth repeating here, I think:

I'm Meirion from Newsnight and I just want to clear up a couple of things.

First is as we all know the person who deserves the credit for first calling attention to these bogus detector scams is James Randi back in the mid 1990s. That's why when we broke our story on Friday at 14.00 GMT on the BBC Online website we said...

"Concern over the use of dowsing rods to detect bombs was first raised by American sceptic, James Randi.
Mr Randi has confirmed to the BBC that he is still offering Mr McCormick $1m if he can prove that the ADE-651 works."

 

[zooterkin]

From the New York Times article, yesterday (I couldn't see one for today)

An associate of ATSC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the devices were manufactured at a cost of $250 each by suppliers in Britain and Romania. “Everyone at ATSC knew there was nothing inside the ADE 651,” he said.

$250 each? Seems like they're being ripped off, as well as their customers.

The Iraqi government, according to its auditors, paid $40,000 to $60,000 for each device, although it determined that ATSC was marketing the device for $16,000. The additional money was said to have been for training, spare parts and commissions.

I guess that explains a little of the discrepancies in counting the devices and per item costs. Doesn't explain why the company's website only claims to have sold a few, but that could be down to incompetence; a lot of companies don't know how to keep their websites up-to-date.

 

[Rrose Selavy]

There's another aspect closer to home, here in the UK that the papers etc don't seem to have taken up.
Randi says in the video that a similar useless device was used in Northen Ireland.


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