Customs officials must be prepared to handle more than just “traditional” threats like drug and arms trafficking, cigarette smuggling, and fraud. New risks like counterfeit goods, psychoactive substances, dual-use technologies, and nuclear and radioactive materials have also emerged.
CEA-List’s nuclear instrumentation experts teamed up with Bertin Technologies, a major European defense and security company, to improve the detection of radioactive materials (gamma radiation) and reduce false alarms. The European ENTRANCE project offered ideal testing conditions—similar to actual border controls, especially those conducted in ports.
CEA-List’s technologies enabled a three-fold increase in the number of trucks inspected. Ionizing radiation detection quality was good, and the number of false alarms was less than 1 in 10,000. New algorithms that correlate information from several detectors and better separate natural and industrial isotopes led to the excellent results.
Customs officials confirmed the benefits of the technologies developed for inspecting vehicles without disrupting activity at the border. The solutions will be integrated into a new generation of gantry-type detectors for the control of all vehicles in transit. Highway tool booths will also be equipped with the technology.
increase in the number of trucks inspected
False alarm rate
This is an effective nuclear and radioactive risk inspection method that is well suited for use in border control scenarios, where it doesn’t disrupt operations.
