Police to roll out mobile fingerprinting

Twenty forces now able to check people's fingerprints on the beat, in real time

Police will be able to check fingerprints while on the beat

A plan to provide police officers on the beat with mobile fingerprinting devices is to be further rolled out after an 18-month trial showed average time savings of 30 minutes per case.

One hundred devices have been provided to 10 forces this month as part of the project, known as Lantern - adding to the 10 constabularies involved in the pilot.

Officers use the technology to establish people’s identity by linking in real-time to Ident1 - the National Automated Fingerprint System - avoiding the need to take possible miscreants back to the station to confirm who they are.

In trials, British Transport Police saved an average of 30 minutes per case, as did 90 per cent of officers involved in the pilot. Forces that used the mobile devices in conjunction with automatic number plate recognition achieved an average one hour time saving.

“Lantern forms part of a wider programme to help reduce bureaucracy in the police service and increase visibility of police officers to the public,” said Richard Earland, chief information officer at the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), which is managing the project.

“As the pilot continues, the NPIA will look at the longevity of the programme and the benefits it presents to improve policing.”

The 10 additional forces using Lantern are: City of London Police, Durham Constabulary, Avon and Somerset Police, Thames Valley Police, Kent Police, Surrey Police, Derbyshire Constabulary, Leicestershire Constabulary, Merseyside Police and Greater Manchester Police.

“The second phase of this project reiterates the focus of the police service; to put more officers on the street,” said Peter Goodman, assistant chief constable of Derbyshire Constabulary and senior responsible owner for the project.

“The impact that Lantern - and other similar projects - has on policing is vast and I look forward to evaluating the progress of the project within my force and across the other pilot forces.”