CROW Country’s boys in blue can now check criminals’ identities on the beat with a new pocket sized fingerprinting gadget.

The new Mobile Identification device gives officers the power to scan fingerprints and check them against the national database for verification.

A police spokesman claimed it “will enable faster identification of individuals saving the public and police time and also help increase the number of offenders who are identified and brought to justice”.

It has been used in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire for the last four weeks but is officially launched across the country today (Monday).

The small hand held device, a BlueCheck, is used in conjunction with a standard Blackberry, a smart phone, and means officers who suspect someone is lying about their true identity, may not have to haul to be hauled back to the station.

It is claimed by the same token, honest members of the public will be able to be on there way quickly if stopped by an officer.

Fingerprints captured by the machine at the roadside are not stored on any database.

Officers across the three forces are said to be “delighted” with their new pieces of kit with Mobile ID helping in a variety of situations – including identifying people who have been seriously injured or killed in incidents so that their family can be found more quickly.