According to Engadget, the Police will within the next 18 months start using mobile fingerprint scanners to carry out identity checks right in the street, at a cost of £30 million+.
The new scanners will allow police to check a persons fingerprints against records in a database (likely ID database/police databases). They will be used on those suspected of a crime when a positive ID cannot be verified. The new scanners will be able to receive pictures of suspects and other data over ’secure’ connections. The Police claim that it will greatly speed up processing suspects, help identifying bodies at the scene, and have other uses.
Originally found over at the Guardian