Every police force in England and Wales will be equipped with mobile fingerprint scanners to check the identity of suspects in the street.
Up to 3,000 devices, the size of a mobile phone, will enable officers on patrol to cross-reference prints with national records.
Senior officers claimed the scheme would speed up criminal inquiries, bring more people to justice and save thousands of hours of police time.
But fears have arisen the technology could contribute to the so-called “surveillance state” and encourage random searches.
