Latest Interpol reports on disaster victim identification and the process of implementing international DVI standards in Poland.

Abstract

In view of a growing number of terrorist attacks, as well as mass casualty events including natural disasters, aviation accidents, disasters in land traffic, construction disasters and others, emergency response services operating on the sites of such mass events require a set of rapid, efficient and well-coordinated methods of operation. As a result of the increasing migration of people for tourism, business and settlement purposes, it frequently happens that the emergency response resources and infrastructure in the countries where mass casualty events occur are insufficient for the identification of victims who may be citizens of multiple countries. Coordinated actions by international Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) teams using Interpol's standardised DVI procedures may be a good solution ensuring efficient and reliable identification of local and international disaster victims. Interpol's periodic DVI conferences provide a great opportunity for the exchange of experiences between DVI team specialists from different countries, and discussions on various aspects of disaster victim identification based on real-life events in which DVI specialists were actively involved. The article presents the latest reports on the organisation of identification activities at the scene of events, and the role of the principal DVI methods, which were presented during the international 30th Interpol Disaster Victim Identification Conference which took place at the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore on 14-16 May 2019. Also outlined are the measures taken towards the introduction of Interpol's international DVI standards in Poland, and the establishment of the Polish DVI team.