Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) has purchased 51 Thermo Scientific LXQ linear ion trap mass spectrometers and 27 of the company's Nicolet 6700 FTIR spectrometers with Continuµm microscopes. The NPA will use the LC–MS–MS system for toxicology screening in each of its 47 prefecture offices and will use the FTIR system for forensics in nearly half of those offices.

The LC–MS–MS system's ion trap technology is reported to provide high sensitivity and specificity, which enables it to analyse hundreds of analytes in blood and urine samples.

The FTIR spectrometer and microscope combines visual microscopic analysis with valuable and discriminating infrared chemical information, which the company claims ensures sensitive, accurate interpretation, while preserving the sample. One reason the NPA cited for purchasing the FTIR was its ability to analyse paint chips, a key piece of identification evidence in a hit-and-run crime. Normally, identifying auto paint requires dissolution and chemical extraction, but FTIR microscopy provides quick chemical identification of each paint layer without degrading the sample.

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