New pilot scheme will allow Traffic cops to check your driving licence via DVLA linked database

UK traffic police department has started a pilot project to check the photo identity of drivers at the roadside. In this project, police officers will call up DVLA database for the photo id of drivers. During this trial, DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency) is giving the police direct access to their database.

Police cars will be connected directly to the DVLA database via in-car computer system. It will prevent drivers giving fake identities and fake names.

Surry is onboard for this project and several other agencies and departments are also signing up and a national roll-out will follow too. Chief Constable Garry Forsyth is leading the project. He said, “It’ll be hugely beneficial to officers and reduce false prosecutions. We’ll know identities first time, every time.”

In the present system, there is no way to check the originality of an id provided by the driver. This system will allow the police to check driver’s data direct from police’s own national database.

But if there is no criminal record of the offender already registered in the database he can still get lost in the database. If the department moves for the court proceedings due to the false name given, the legal system will not be able to track the record of the driver and it will be a real loss of money and time.

Chief also admitted, “If they give the wrong details, have no previous record and then fail to attend court that’s it. There’s a lot of this that takes place.” This project will close this loophole forever by allowing the police to call-up the DVLA database for photographs. Photographs will be provided to the police when a name is given at the roadside.

If the face doesn’t match with the pictures, a legal action can be taken. Officers can give a  second chance to the driver to provide correct details Chief Constable hopes that the pilot project will be ready to go national by the middle of 2015.