Staffordshire University and West Yorkshire Police have teamed up to develop a new system which uses 3D scanning technology to help identify the type of footwear worn by criminals.
The team has devised a fast, effective, and affordable method for capturing data from footwear uppers by creating an interactive 3D image of a shoe under both visible light and infrared light.
While the analysis of footwear impressions left at crime scenes is an established practice in policing, this new approach could help get round the fact many offenders will try to hide their appearance.
Claire Gwinnett, Professor of Forensic and Environmental Science, said: “The number of cases in which footage from body worn cameras, CCTV and even phones is used to catch perpetrators has increased.
“However, criminals often conceal their face and wear dark clothing which means there are few identifying features apart from their shoes.
“The big questions is, how can you identify these shoes and how useful is this as evidence?”
The process, funded by the Police STAR fund, uses a photography light box, turntable and camera to produce 3D scans rather than still images.
Claire added: “Most CCTV cameras use near infrared light during night time recordings, which can make the footwear look completely different than in natural light.
“So, it was important to develop a method that will help police to quickly identify the type of shoe, how common it is, and importantly what it looks like under different lighting conditions.”
The equipment needed for this process costs less than £500. The aim is for it to be used by footwear units across the nation and, in the future, detention officers in a custody suite to scan a suspect’s shoe.
The optimum settings for the process are being optimised before it is piloted to different police forces in the new year.
In future, it is hoped that this method could be adopted to populate a national database of footwear uppers which could be accessed by police professionals across the country.
Staffordshire University will host a workshop for police professionals about the research in March 2023.
