China develops face-scanning police car to catch criminals

Beijing: A face-scanning police car with cameras on its roof-top has been developed by a Chinese university which could help in chasing and arresting wanted criminals.

The intelligent vehicles, developed by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Sichuan Province, will be first tested in east Zhejiang Province in June, the university said.

The police car is equipped with rooftop cameras that capture faces within a radius of 60 meters, even at a speed of 120 km per hour.

The images are then sent through the police database and if matches are found an alarm is sounded. Its other functions include detecting vehicles information and identifying mobile phones in its proximity.

Its engines also consume less oil and discharge less carbon dioxide.

"The new car is not just a means of transportation. It is more like a smart law enforcement system on wheels," said Yin Guangqiang, director of the police-use advanced technology institute at the university.

China's police cars are mostly refitted with commercial car models according to the needs of local authorities. The new cars will address many problems resulting from this poor standardisation, he said.

A host of new technologies have been added to the new model over the seven-month development period for the country's first standardised police vehicle, Yin was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.