Ten police forces have rolled out 100
mobile fingerprinting devices this month as part of the Lantern
project, which is managed by the National Policing Improvement
Agency (NPIA).
The first 10 forces to take part in Lantern started using the
technology last year.
The pilots have shown significant time savings when police
officers are trying to establish the identity of people stopped in
the street.
In a survey of officers, 90% estimated that Lantern was saving
at least 30 minutes per case
Lantern enables the capture of fingerprint details suitable for
identifying individuals in an operational environment. It also
allows real-time searching of the national fingerprint database on
the
National Automated Fingerprint System.
Lantern's purpose is to establish a person's identity away from
the police station, thus increasing the time officers spend on the
frontline.
Richard Earland, chief Information officer at the NPIA, said,
"Lantern forms part of a wider programme to help reduce bureaucracy
in the police service and increase visibility of police officers to
the public.
"As the pilot continues, the NPIA will look at the longevity of
the programme and the benefits it presents to improve
policing."
The forces using Lantern are: City of London Police, Durham
Constabulary, Avon and Somerset Police, Thames Valley Police, Kent
Police, Surrey Police, Derbyshire Constabulary, Leicestershire
Constabulary, Merseyside Police and Greater Manchester Police.