Police in England and Wales have completed deployment of a searchable palm-print identification system that over the past two weeks has already matched hundreds of prints with potential suspects, according to U.K. officials.The palm-print system is part of IDENT1, a biometric identity platform that includes 6.5 million sets of fingerprints from the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System, said Kay Odysseos, projects communication coordinator for the Police Information Technology Organization (PITO). PITO is responsible for procurement of police IT systems in the United Kingdom.IDENT1 is linked into the Police National Computer, a 30-year-old system that includes a national vehicle and names registry, among others, Odysseos said. IDENT1 was developed under a contract with Northrop Grumman.Palm prints account for some 20 percent of marks at crime scenes, according to PITO. Within minutes of using the new search capabilities, the Northhamptonshire Police in Northhampton, England, matched a palm print from an October 2005 robbery to a suspect’s prints held in a local database, PITO said. So far, 1.5 million palm prints are in the system, Odysseos said. Since the national searching capability was added over the past two weeks, more than 500 matches of prints to crime scenes have been made, she said.“We are looking to continue and grow that database,” Odysseos said. -Jeremy Kirk, IDG News ServiceKeep checking in at our CSO Security Feed page for updated news coverage. Related content feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and Acquisitions brandpost Unmasking ransomware threat clusters: Why it matters to defenders Similar patterns of behavior among ransomware treat groups can help security teams better understand and prepare for attacks By Joan Goodchild Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Cybercrime news analysis China’s offensive cyber operations support “soft power” agenda in Africa Researchers track Chinese cyber espionage intrusions targeting African industrial sectors. By Michael Hill Sep 21, 2023 5 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks Critical Infrastructure brandpost Proactive OT security requires visibility + prevention You cannot protect your operation by simply watching and waiting. It is essential to have a defense-in-depth approach. By Austen Byers Sep 21, 2023 4 mins Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe