Quicker way to catch criminals

From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Saturday 23rd Feb 2002.

A FINGERPRINT system pioneered by a Wiltshire police scientist is being snapped up by British and foreign forces.

Esther Neate, a former professional photographer, has developed the first digital photography fingerprint system in Britain.

The system enhances the image of a fingerprint. Previously, many prints had to be ditched as, on certain surfaces, such as a bank note or carrier bag, the background pattern got in the way.

But the new system reduces the effect of the background pattern to show the fingerprint more clearly.

There are also in-built security mechanisms to ensure evidence cannot be contam- inated.

Now representatives of the Uzbekistan police force have visited Wiltshire police headquarters in Devizes to find out about the system and Mrs Neate is travelling overseas to spread the word to other forces.

She said the system has increased crime detection rates in Wiltshire by 40 per cent.

"The system has provided a better service to the public because work can be turned around a lot quicker, and because it has improved detection rates," she said.

Mrs Neate, who has worked for the Wiltshire force for 10 years, began developing the new system in 1995. Two years later the force was actively using it in prosecutions.

The system, manufactured by the firm Masonvactron, went on the commercial market 18 months ago and there are now at least 25 police forces using the technology.

Interest in the system has also been shown by police in Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand.

Later this year, Mrs Neate will be speaking at a forensic conference in Las Vegas.

She said the new system can benefit everybody.

"I developed the new system because we had a big backlog of work and quite a few serious cases," she said.

"When we took photographs in black and white there was a three-week turn around in producing the impressions, but with the digital technology that has been reduced to minutes.

"I was aware there was technology out there that would convict an offender, but the technology I had at the time did not do that.

"It is quite nice to see some reward for all your hard work."

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