Science Media Centre

Police have confirmed the dangerous chemical AMB-FUBINACA is present in synthetic drugs linked to 20 deaths in the past few months. In a statement on Thursday, police and the Chief Coroner said the majority of ESR testing had found the chemical AMB-FUBINACA, which has been linked to users being in a ‘zombie-like’ state in the […]

The New Zealand Police this morning announced that all frontline response staff will routinely carry Tasers. Police Commissioner Mike Bush says the decision is based on research and evidence highlighting the success of the Taser in de-escalating violent situations, and its extremely low rate of injury compared with other tactical options. The SMC collected the […]

Ian Steward of the The Press writes about the recent change of law widening the powers of police to take DNA samples, a move which has prompted some criticism. A number of charges (as opposed to convictions) will now require DNA sampling, including mistreatment of animals, assault and indecent behaviour.  Some groups, however, are concerned […]