THE fight against crime in Wyre Forest has been handed a boost thanks to state-of-the-art fingerprinting technology aimed to make things harder for lawbreakers.
Kidderminster Police Station's latest addition - the new Livescan electronic fingerprint system - will make it easier for forces to pass on vital evidence.
The equipment, which is part of a national network of 500 appliances, works like a "sophisticated photocopier" by scanning the palms and fingers of an arrested person before printing them out at police headquarters in Worcester.
It is hoped the machines, which cost £1,750 a month to lease, with 50 per cent being paid by the Government for the first 18 months, will increase the chances of recovering stolen items more quickly, reduce the number of detained people giving false details and create a better link between forces around the country.
The new system will be able to identify a person in a matter of minutes, instead of the two to three days it had taken under the old method of dispatching prints from bureaux to stations.
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