Mini ID scanners for police

HAND-HELD fingerprint scanners that can check identity on the street may be given to every police force in the country in a government-backed scheme.

The BlackBerry-sized devices would match fingerprint scans against criminal records on the police national computer. The aim would be to identify suspects rapidly and verify names and details, saving police time. Civil liberties campaigners are calling for safeguards for the new National Policing Improvement Agency technology.

But police chiefs have said that any images obtained using the scanners will only be retained temporarily as the instant checks are carried out.