Video clips would speed ID parades

Police will replace traditional identity parades with video clips of suspects in a bid to speed up justice.

The move is the centrepiece of a package of measures announced by Home Secretary David Blunkett today, aimed at saving police officers' time. It can take days to organise conventional identity parades, where victims chooses their attackers from a line-up of people.

The video version, already tried out in West Yorkshire, can be set up in half an hour from a database of prerecorded clips. The change will save £14 million a year. Experts say it will be less traumatic for victims.

Mr Blunkett hopes to free up police time so that they can concentrate on their core goals of catching criminals and reassuring the public. A study released by the Home Office showed that the typical constable spends 43 per cent in the office.

The measures proposed today will be included in a white paper on police reform due soon.