Cutting edge of crime detection

Mar 18 2010 by Stewart Watkins, The Journal

CRIME has long been a subject that has fascinated and repelled our society in equal measure.

Since the 19th Century when fictitious characters such as Bill Sykes and Sherlock Holmes took hold of the collective consciousness, we have been intrigued by crime and the police and detectives who help to fight it.

It was at this time that fingerprints were first used to help identify and convict criminals and these principles have remained an integral part of our legal system ever since.

However, fingerprint technology has developed a long way from the ink pads of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Nowadays a fingerprint can be analysed to give details of the minutiae of a person's life – from what they had for breakfast to whether they've taken any illegal substances in the past few hours.

One company involved at this cutting edge of fingerprint technology is ROAR Particles. Based at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) in Sedgefield, ROAR Particles works in the field of nanotechnology and has the capability to determine from a single fingerprint whether the person smokes, takes drugs or has handled any substances that might indicate their involvement in criminal activity.

In addition to the obvious security applications of this technology, it could also help in the diagnosis of a number of diseases and conditions including diabetes.

Another North East company, FS Design, has helped develop a fingerprint reader with the technology capable of verifying a person's age. This device which could prove very useful in shops, bars and clubs, has the potential to become as ubiquitous as chip and pin machines.

A member of NETPark's online community, NETPark Net, FS Design is part of wider scientific network and is able to tap into the resources and facilities offered at NETPark including any workshops or seminars that may be relevant to its work.

The fact that so many cutting edge scientific breakthroughs take existing practices and modify, develop or take a different approach to them to find new, improved solutions to society's problems, demonstrates the importance of dialogue within the scientific community.

NETPark and NETPark Net both provide this forum for discussion and are fast becoming hubs for companies working at the cutting edge. I am confident that science and technology will continue to play a major role in tackling society's most challenging problems.

Stewart Watkins is managing director of the County Durham Development Company