Mobile fingerprint technology
Tuesday, 13 April, 2010
Police officers across the country will soon be able to check an individual's identity at the roadside within two minutes, following the introduction of a new mobile fingerprinting device later this year.
The NPIA has recently signed a contract with Cogent Systems (Nasdaq:COGT) to supply mobile fingerprint identification devices which will allow police officers to scan a person's fingerprints while on the beat and check them against the national fingerprint database for
verification. This will enable faster identification of those whose details are verified without having to take up much of their time, and also quickly identify those who are known to the police. This will save the public's time, police officer's time and help increase the number of offenders brought to justice.
During the first year of rollout, up to 3,000 new devices will be deployed to forces in England and Wales, helping to cut the number of trips police make back to the police station and giving them more time to spend on the frontline. For example, rather than arresting and detaining an individual to establish their identity, which can take up to several hours, it will take a couple of minutes.
As an example, officers stopped a man who produced an Irish passport as proof of identity. The officers then checked his identity against the national fingerprint database using a mobile identification device and the results came back within minutes identifying the man as an offender who had fled the UK eleven years ago after being found guilty of raping an eleven year old girl.
Other benefits reported from officers currently using mobile identification devices as part of the national Lantern Pilot, include:
• An average saving of at least 30 minutes per case.
• Reducing the number of people taken back to the police station to establish their identity.
• Identification of unconscious or fatal victims at a crime or accident scene.
• Improved levels of public confidence.
Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, Chief Executive of the NPIA, said: "From hours to minutes, advances in fingerprinting technology are helping the police to identify one person from many.
"Identification is crucial to police investigations and giving officers the ability to do this on-the-spot within minutes is giving them more time to spend working in their communities, helping to fight crime, bringing more offenders to justice and better protecting the public."
Deputy Chief Constable Peter Goodman, ACPO lead on Mobile Identification, said: "We are entering exciting times with the progression of this new capability. It also means cost savings equivalent to releasing some 360 officers back to front line policing each year."
