Forty years ago the Australian Federal Police (AFP) invented a device which has changed the face of global forensics and Hollywood.
The iconic blue Polilight, featured in many a crime scene to reveal all manner of evidence, was a result of Australian ingenuity in the 1980s.
AFP Principle Forensic Scientist Kylie Jones said AFP forensic scientists, working in conjunction with Australian National University, invented the Polilight, a high-intensity, portable light source that illuminated fingerprints, bodily fluids, fibres and other crucial trace evidence, previously invisible to the naked eye of investigators.
“The Polilight changed the game. It allowed our officers to reveal hidden evidence at crime scenes and in the lab, giving us an edge that no one else had at the time,” Dr Jones said.
She said before then, locating invisible evidence was tedious, unreliable and often required transporting items across the country for further examination.
“The AFP’s breakthrough made it possible to conduct detailed forensic searches on-site with speed and precision.”
Dr Jones said the first prototype was produced in 1981, but in 1985, an updated version of the light taken to an FBI fingerprint conference in Quantico, Virginia.
“Word got out fast and the AFP invention became a staple not just in Australia, but in forensic units around the globe.
“From Scotland Yard to the FBI, international law enforcement agencies lined up to get their hands on the AFP invention.”
Dr Jones said it wasn’t long before the Polilight’s glowing blue beam became a familiar sight on real-life crime scenes and also on fictional ones too, with NCIS, Law & Order and CSI all borrowing a page from the AFP’s forensic playbook.
“The innovation helped establish the AFP’s reputation as a global leader in policing science — and gave forensic TV writers a lot of great material,” she said.
