POLICE in South Worcestershire this week unveiled their latest electronic weapon in the fight against crime.

Criminals arrested in the Vale and taken to Worcester police station will now have their fingerprints taken automatically rather than have them rolled on ink pads.

LiveScan, described as the biggest change in the taking of fingerprints for 100 years, has been introduced across the West Mercia region following a four-year trial at Worcester.

LiveScan operates on the same principle as a sophisticated photocopier, scanning the fingers, thumbs and palms of an arrested person and printing them out at the force headquarters in Hindlip Hall.

Fingerprint expert Andy Candlin said: "LiveScan offers benefits that were not possible with the old "ink and print" method of taking fingerprints.

"It is much quicker, being able to identify an offender in five to ten minutes instead of two to three days previously, when the prints had to be physically dispatched to the bureau from around the force.

"LiveScan also searches a detainee's fingerprints against unsolved crime scenes, resulting in repeat offenders often being remanded in custody, preventing them committing further offences.

"As well as being printed out, all of the images go into a national database that can be searched by forces across the country to establish someone's identity and help solve crimes.

"LiveScan also increases the chances of recovering stolen property by establishing offenders' home addresses more quickly - as well as reducing the number of detained people who gives false names and addresses."

Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Albutt, head of West Mercia CID, said: "This is the biggest change in the taking of fingerprints since the practice first began in the early 1900s."