PICS is the only global secure online tool to enhance real-time communication and information-sharing between national authorities on precursor chemicals and equipment incidents. It facilitates multiagency collaboration and multilateral operational cooperation in precursor and equipment related matters and serves as a global early warning system for chemicals. By providing a secure platform for sharing case-related information, documents and pictures in a quick and secure manner, PICS also facilitates backtracking investigations.
PICS is available in English, French, Russian and Spanish languages and recent updates allow it to run on mobile devices too.
PICS connects nearly 650 users from over 300 national agencies from 130 countries. Till date over 4300 incidents have been communicated through PICS.
Since its launch in 2012, PICS has assisted in supporting backtracking investigations and identifying common links in several cases. In 2017 and 2018 PICS sharing of pictures and information of seized jerry cans and labels facilitated the linking up and subsequent prosecution of six seizures of acetic anhydride involving almost 22,000 litres of the substance. In the last 5 years alone, incidents shared through PICS prevented the illicit manufacture of more than 120 tons of ATS.
Information on seizures of non-scheduled substances obtained through this tool is also key for INCB’s assessments of chemicals for international control.
Providing users with secure communication and detailed, actionable, real-time information on incidents and suspicious shipments of precursors and equipment, including information such as photographs, shipping documents and other documents that can be useful during investigations.
Helping in the identification of links between incidents and building up cases, including cases involving non-scheduled chemicals and illicit drug manufacturing equipment.
Providing contact details of the information provider to facilitate direct contact, networking and launching of bilateral/ regional investigations.
Generating automated alerts to users via email about new incidents and any updates made to published incidents.
Facilitating and promoting systematic analysis through advanced search features through “google” type (free text) and structured searches with several fixed filtering and dynamic filtering options to refine the search, as well as generation of excel reports.
Improved real-time communication and sharing of actionable information on incidents related to precursors and equipment.
Improved identification of trafficking routes, modi operandi including commonalities in incidents, mis-declaration/ mis-labeling.
Improved identification of new and emerging chemicals.
Continued and upgraded knowledge on emerging trends and modi-operandi in illicit drug manufacturing as well as new non controlled chemicals used by traffickers for illicit drug manufacturing.
Back tracking investigations of incidents relating to precursors and equipment leading to better prevention of diversion of the same for illicit purposes.
Improved national interagency cooperation on precursor and equipment incidents.
As on 31 January 2024, regulatory and/or law enforcement officials from about 130 countries/ territories have access to the PICS platform.
Precursors Control Section, Secretariat of the International Narcotics Control Board incb [dot] precursors [at] un [dot] org (incb[dot]precursors[at]un[dot]org); incb [dot] pics [at] un [dot] org (incb[dot]pics[at]un[dot]org)
