Police to use new photo ID checking tech at the roadside

UK police are set to begin a pilot scheme that will allow officers to bring up driving licence photos at the roadside.

The trial will give traffic cops direct access to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) database from their mobile devices or in-car computer systems to prevent drivers giving fake names.

Surrey is already on board while other forces are keen to sign up, too. The pilot is expected to go live by the end of the year with a national roll-out to follow.

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Chief Constable Garry Forsyth, deputy national roads policing lead at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), said: "It'll be hugely beneficial to officers and reduce false prosecutions. We'll know identities first time, every time."

Currently if a stopped driver gives a false name there's no way to check. Police can run the name through its own police national database but if there's no criminal record already logged, offenders can get lost in the system.

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If the case moves to court proceedings but a false name has been given, the legal system can't track the person down which wastes both time and money.

Chief Constable Forsyth admitted: "If they give the wrong details, have no previous record and then fail to attend court that's it. There's a lot of this that takes place."

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The new project will put an end to this loophole by allowing police to call up photographs when a name is given at the roadside. If the face doesn't fit the picture, action can be taken. The driver will have the chance to provide the correct details or will have commited the further offence of giving a false identity to police.

Chief Constable Forsyth said there was no shortage of volunteer forces to take up the pilot and police officers were waiting on the DVLA to put the system in place - it's hoped to be ready by the end of 2015.

Do you think photo ID checking tech at the roadside is a good idea? Let us know in the comments section below...