THE chances of detecting and prosecuting paedophiles may have been vastly improved thanks to the pioneering work of two Vale men.

Former software salesman Kevin Thomas from Wickhamford and student Andrew Thompson from Breforton took just nine months to develop the FIT 400 DVD. They say the machine will cut down the amount of man-hours spent detecting and logging data from suspected paedophiles' computers.

Kevin, in his 40s, said: "We believe we have developed the biggest step forward in the processing and acquisition of digital data that the police have ever had.

"Currently, when most police forces examine the content of suspected paedophiles' computers, they must first transfer the information to clean hard drives. This evidence is then kept for a minimum of seven years, but as hard drives are expensive, the data is often stored on CDs or DVDs.

"Transferring the data is a manual and time-consuming process as one hard drive can store up to 150 CDs-worth of information."

The machine developed by Kevin and Andrew automatically selects the digital evidence from the original hard drive and transfers it on to the correct number of DVD discs.

"Our idea is so simple but so effective - what the police are doing at the moment is like in the Stone Age and this is a device to solve that," said Kevin, a former pupil at Evesham High School.

"When you read your local paper and there is a headline about a local man getting nicked for paedophilia, you realise that level of crime there is on our streets.

"The police have rooms full of computers - it is unbelievable the amount of work they have got and they have to copy all the information off there. The machine basically does the hardware data back-up process automatically."

Police spokesman Kate Tonge said: "West Mercia is using this system on a trial basis and we are continuing to evaluate the benefits it is offering to us."

The FIT 400 DVD has already made a big impact since going on sale in January, last month winning the Innovation Award at London's Computer and Internet Crime Show. West Mercia is one of the first police forces in the country to use the machine, which has the pair say have already helped secure a number of convictions.

The growing demand for this pioneering product has come as no surprise to its inventors. Andrew, who is still a software engineering student at the Worcester College of Technology, said: "I think we knew quite a lot of people would want one of the machines - we knew that they needed it because we saw how they were currently working.

"It is nice to see the machine working and out there - that was always the intention and it is nice to have our ideas become a reality. This a big opportunity for us."

The FIT 400 DVD has the potential to be used in cases of fraud, and the pioneering duo have already been approached by banks, building societies and insurance companies who are interested in the machine. Kevin explained: "Basically the machine can be used in any case where a crime has been committed with a computer." And in the fast-paced world of computer development the duo has also ensured the machine can be easily upgraded to fit the new range of DVDs with their larger storage capacity.

With the US army already showing an interest in the machine along with other police authorities in this country and abroad, the business partners are excited about what the future holds.

For more information about the FIT 400 DVD call 0870 8748800 or visit www.forensicit.net.