Police will now be able to fingerprint drivers at the roadside with an electronic fingerprinting device linked to the national database that can compare prints with 6.5m held on file.
The police say this will be a real boost to identifying those using false driving licences and identities. The Bedfordshire force is set to be the first of 10 to trial the machines. Other forces include Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Metropolitan, North Wales, Northamptonshire, West Midlands and West Yorkshire, plus the British Transport Police. The pilot scheme is called Lantern and police will need the permission of the driver to take their fingerprints. Police minister Tony McNulty said: 'The new technology will speed up the time it takes for police to identify individuals at the roadside, enabling them to spend more time on the frontline and reducing any inconvenience for innocent members of the public.'
Currently, the police have to arrest a suspect and fingerprint them at a police station. Inspector Steve Rawlings, of Bedfordshire Police based in Luton, said: 'This device can reduce a roadside encounter to 15 minutes rather than three hours in the police station.' Inspector Rawlings also pointed out that fingerprints taken at the roadside would not be stored for future use.
Police intend to use roadside fingerprinting in conjunction with Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology. When a suspect vehicle is stopped, police will be able to identify the driver and passengers. Approximately 60% of suspect drivers give false details when stopped.
However, civil liberty campaigners have criticised the new fingerprinting device, saying it is another step towards a national database of all drivers' fingerprints.
