Fingerprint scanners prove their worth

Fingerprint scanning devices that allow officers to ID crime suspects in seconds have been hailed a success by West Midland Police – saving thousands of police hours, keeping officers on the streets and trapping several on-the-run crime suspects.

The 3M Cogent BlueCheck handheld devices – introduced by the force towards the end of last year – are linked to the national fingerprint database IDENT1 and instantly alert officers if the scanned prints belong to a convicted criminal. Officers can then cross-reference the data against the Police National Computer (PNC) to find out if the person is wanted by police or the courts.

Around 70 of the devices are being used by police teams across the region following a successful pilot and already they’ve helped officers identify more than 2,200 people on the spot, many of whom have been shown to be wanted in connection with criminal investigations.

Force lead for mobile identification (MobileID), Chief Inspector Darren Walsh, said: “The mobile scanners have proved a resounding success. Over the last few months we’ve had many examples of suspects being identified and arrested thanks to the scanning devices. Without the MobileID kits, confirming their identity would have taken much longer or they may have succeeded in convincing officers they were someone else and let on their way.

“Traditionally, if officers had suspicions about an individual we’d need to take them to a police station, go through the custody process and fingerprint them at the station, which could take hours. The MobileID kits quickly confirm whether an arrest is necessary and free-up officers to be on the streets protecting the public.

“The number of people being brought in to custody simply to confirm their ID has reduced from approximately 130 a month to just 25; the kits have freed-up many hundreds of hours of police time every month.”

West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC) Bob Jones added: “The mobile scanners are already proving they can help police to work much more quickly and effectively. At a time when we need to make major financial savings, it is essential we maximise the number of officers out on the streets protecting the public.

“Our investment in this technology allows us to save in the long term by freeing-up police officers to work more efficiently.”

West Midlands Police is currently using the MobileID devices in its neighbourhood priority, safer travel, motorways and guns and gangs units.

The national roll-out of MobileID devices follows successful field trials between 2006 and 2010 involving 28 police forces using Lantern devices to test how mobile fingerprinting performs in an operational environment.