Police patrol cars get mobile fingerprint readers

Police patrol cars in Northamptonshire are being fitted with mobile fingerprint readers as part of a trial that could pave the way for the technology to be rolled out across all UK police forces.

Northamptonshire Police are using the mobile fingerprint readers to help identify drivers pulled over during automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) checks. ANPR captures passing vehicles' number plates and checks them against the Police National Computer to spot any suspect vehicles.

As part of the trial, motorists who have been pulled over after their vehicle has been flagged up by an ANPR check are currently being asked to volunteer to have their fingerprints taken at the roadside.

The police officers use a handheld biometric fingerprint reader that is connected to a mobile data terminal fitted in the patrol car. This then runs a check against the national police fingerprint database.

The demonstrator model piloted by Northamptonshire police uses GPRS but the national Police IT Organisation (PITO) is looking for forces to trial it over Airwave: the emergency and public safety services digital radio network.

The trial has suffered from some technical problems, however, and plans for a wider rollout have also been delayed by a PITO funding shortfall for national police IT schemes. PITO said the results of the trial will be fed into a business case for a national mobile fingerprint reading system.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire police told silicon.com: "The trial is ongoing and it will be rolled out. It is something we are committed to."