POLICE officers in Middlesbrough are to be helped by the latest computer technology.
They are being equipped with palm-sized computers which mean that checking the details of a suspect on the street will only take seconds.
The mini-computers can even access and display photographs.
The computers are part of a £1m integrated computer system, which has been codenamed Iris.
Inspector Leigh Brewster, of Cleveland Police, said it was an example of the police harnessing the very latest in technology.
He said: "This is the future of policing. We are currently setting up the basic system and it is attracting national interest. The officers spearheading this system in Middlesbrough are the first operational officers to use it in the country.''
About 20 officers based at Middlesbrough have been equipped with the computers, but eventually every officer will have one. All community policing teams will be using them by April.
The high-tech aids will also help officers accurately record the work they are doing. They will also be able to use the computers to find out what their roles are for the day.
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