Facial mapping catches crooks

Published on 27 Apr 2007

Three men have been jailed after police tracked them down using advanced facial mapping technology, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Although the men wore caps police were able to map the lower parts of the suspects faces and match them to CCTV footage taken from a number of crime scenes. This information helped police to trace the men and find further evidence.

The men were found guilty of charges relating to a series of robberies that took place in the Manchester area during 2006

Det. Con Chris Windle, of Greater Manchester Police said:

"This was a prolific gang carrying out a number of armed robberies across a wide area.
"They targeted shops and convenience stores and weren't afraid to threaten defenceless shop assistants. At least two women have been too afraid to return to their jobs as a result of the ordeal at the hands of these men.
"Their arrest resulted in an immediate and dramatic reduction in the number of armed robberies on convenience stores in the Trafford and south Manchester areas."