UK: Police trial mobile fingerprint ID machines

[Bob]

Bedfordshire police are the first force to trial new equipment which will allow them to take and match fingerprints of motorists. Ten authorities are being distributed with the mobile equipment, which is linked to a database of 6.5 million prints.

Officers will scan a vehicle's number plates using a special camera that checks if the car is subject to an offence. If the driver does not convince police he is giving them a correct name, they will fingerprint him and verify his identity on the spot, instead of taking him to the police station.

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."

However, despite promises that the prints will not be kept on file, civil liberties organisations have expressed concerns. Mark Wallace of civil liberties group the Freedom Association said "I don't think we should be reassured by the fact that at the moment it's voluntary and at the moment they won't be recorded," he said "Both of those things are actually only happening in the trial because the laws haven't been passed to do this on a national basis compulsorily and with recording."

Forces in Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, North Wales, Northamptonshire, West Midlands and West Yorkshire, as well as to British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police will be supplied with the equipment over the next two months.

[davereid]

Wouldnt it just be easier to have a microchip shoved under your skin at birth, or maybe a bar code on your head, so your owner can keep track of you ?

[Ixion]

,,
Officers will scan a vehicle's number plates using a special camera that checks if the car is subject to an offence. If the driver does not convince police he is giving them a correct name, they will fingerprint him and verify his identity on the spot, instead of taking him to the police station.

,,

Surely that will only work if every person in the country has their fingerprints held by the police? Thin edge of the wedge, methinks.

[Disco Dan]

Surely that will only work if every person in the country has their fingerprints held by the police? Thin edge of the wedge, methinks.

yes your right, but they will then pass a law allowing NEW fingerprints to be kept on file... then all the have to do is wait... everytime they pull someone over they add to their database... Scary thought..

[Paul in NZ]

Its a problem. Civil liberties are under threat for sure BUT.... HOURs of Police time is wasted by people that won't give their correct details or their brothers name etc - change their name one the way back to the station.

Believe it or not - the Police don't give a rats arse about Mr and Mrs ratepayer and your once a year 112kph speeding fine but are trying to catch the prick making off with their subaru wagon and claiming to be them...

[Biff]

A great idea. Except they spent 1.8 billion+ pounds on a US supplied radio bearer network which supports it, when they could have bought a cheaper one from Europe (730 million pounds), which has been in operation in France and Spain for almost 10 years. Gotta support the US economony ya see. They're the real big brother.

Why is everyone so paranoid, when the only people who intend on causing us actual harm are the scum bag criminals these initiatives are designed to protect us from.

[bluninja]

Why is everyone so paranoid, when the only people who intend on causing us actual harm are the scum bag criminals these initiatives are designed to protect us from.

Only the guilty need fear huh? It's all about money...making identification of people criminals (and anybody else) cheaper. Soon the police will never have to put on the blue sirens or attend a robbery in progress...they'll just fingerprint the scene when it's safe and then decide who they need to arrest.

Given the UK governments record on IT projects and database integrity I would fear ever being stopped in case I got banged up becuase my fingerprint scan said I was a paid up Al Qaeda terrorist. And if the information you posted is correct you can see that they can't even keep a proper handle on their purse strings.

In some EU countries you are fingerprinted at 16 and have an official ID card and have had for ages. Is their crime rate lower? Nope.....but they do know all the offenders that don't wear gloves. This measure is almost like ID cards via the back door. Who will need an ID card when all the police need to do is scan your fingertips? How long before other quasi official organisations gain access to this data?