It'll be a handy 2 for 1 device soon, finger printing the public for "security purposes" at all public events or checking the imbeded chip when they start chipping prisoners instead off tagging them. Jackie Smith ain't got nothing on me....

Do you suddenly appear on the system?

does that mean they will store them on the database if they hav'nt already got them? so if their new powers are granted, they will be able to stop anyone on the street WITHOUT resonable suspician, search you, and then take your prints?

I've had a play with one of these things. It only searches on the index fingers of the hands, and doesn't record any information of searches, whether successful or not...

Currently, the only times you'll get added to the database is when they arrest you, and either get ya on a Livescan system or take your prints with ink.

The lantern doesn't search the crime-scene marks database either...

I suspect they'll introduce compulsory fingerprinting and DNA sampling from a young age pretty soon, just in case they grow up to be terrorists.

Possible RF chips implanted just to keep them safe you understand.

Why not simply force everyone to have a barcode tattooed across their forehead strictly for identification purposes of course, nothing sinister I can assure you.

Prove me wrong Mr & Mrs politician ... Go on, I dare you!

Welcome to 1984, a little bit late but what do you expect from from the government?

... not only take your prints, they can and have arrest people on the terrorism act for non terrorism related things (political protestors seems to always end up on terrorism charges), now they can detain you for 42 days. 42 Days is longer than holidays from work, so you've lost your job, it's longer than a month, so you've missed a months rent and lost your right to accommodation.

The police can continue to find evidence after laying charges, so the excuse that they need more time to investigate is false. They say they need more time to question, but the suspect does not have to answer, not for 2 days let alone 42 days.

As when 0 days became 2 days, then 14 then 28 now 42, it was always 'exceptional cases', except it isn't now, it's the norm and it's used against protesters not terrorist.

Then there's the cases, Liberty say the police obtained the evidence to charge at 4 days and 12 days. The charges should have been laid at 4 & 12 days in that case, it was an abuse to continue to have evidence to charge people, yet continue to detain them without charge.

Then we get to the nativity of 'lethal pot' Brown in swallowing Ian Blairs excuses unquestioningly. Lets look at the FBI justification for Patriot act:

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/04/fbi-director-ci.html

This was where the FBI issued a warrant, got the information it wanted, then withdrew the warrant and re-issued the request letter under Patriot act. They knew the second request wasn't legal, and it was returned by the university. They then used the delay as justification for needing the powers in the revised Patriot act. But it was a lie, the FBI had deliberately caused the delay to get the new powers.

In the same way, all previous terrorist arrests were done and processed quickly, now the police can take 28 days, they take 28 days. If you gave them 6 years, they'd take 6 years just like they do in the US.

I believe Ian Blair's justification is equally bogus, the police should not be arresting people without enough evidence to charge. If they don't have enough evidence to even lay ONE charge, why did they arrest them in the first place? They could not be a credible threat if there is no evidence to arrest them, computer aren't bombs, words do not explode. Saying you need time to search hard disks is not 'collecting evidence' it's 'assembling heresay'.

/rant

Now I begin to see a reason for the central ID database behind the proposed ID card scheme. Once we have your biometrics on file, whether you are guilty of anything or not, we can check your fingerprints to see if you are telling the truth !

Chris Cosgrove

...you're likely to get arrested in England. And fingerprinted. And run though God knows what. Worse thing is, that's where the US will be in twenty years.

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Mine's the one made of hi-tech prophylactics...

If you've already been done for something, you're on the dabs database, so who cares what you're calling yourself - you're nicked.

If you haven't been done yet, you're a civilian, so plod have something better to do with their time than harass you for you bit of plastic. And surely there's more useful toys that the money for ID cards can be spent on.

But they will screw it on the way, as everything.

I'm a big supporter if ID cards, fingerprints, etc. Maybe because I grew up in Poland, thus I got used to it. But not in UK, where I live now. Politicians and police routinely abuse all the powers they're granted so NO2ID! Also all information from from those databases will float, sooner or later to interwebs. They have no clue how to secure anything.

Strange how you can change the opinion because of incompetence of politicians. As many people mentioned before: 1984 calling: late, over budget and we'll need some migrants to sort it out!