Sgt Ian Stoughton demonstrates the Lantern device.
POLICE in Lancashire have begun trialling hand-held electronic fingerprint readers designed to identify suspects at the roadside.
Experts hope that the Lantern mobile finger print analyser will save massive amounts of police time and money by allowing officers to identify people without having to take them to the station.
The gadget allows officers to search 6.5 million fingerprints archived on the National Automated Fingerprint System, with the trial aiming to give them a result within five minutes.
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