THE introduction of a state of the art video identification system came in for high praises from members of the justice system, constabulary and others who witnessed the launch at the Kingston Central Police Station yesterday.

The system was funded by the United States and British governments at a cost of just under $15 million after a request last year by Police Commissioner, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, for assistance to modernise the constabulary. It will allow witnesses and victims of crime to identify suspects in a safe environment and will eventually replace the conventional identification parades.

At present, identification parades sometimes take weeks to be completed as law enforcement officials often struggle to compile a group of persons with similar features to those of accused persons, the police said.

According to head of the Serious and Organised Crime Branch, Assistant Commissioner Les Green, the video database will consist of head and shoulder moving images of suspects, along with volunteer images which will be shown to the witness or suspect.

Green said the compilation will be shown in the presence of the suspect's attorney or a Justice of the Peace.

In addition, all activities inside the new identification parade room will be recorded by a closed circuit television system to ensure the security and integrity of the system. The taking of the image and the showing of the parade will be done in the presence of an attorney or a Justice of the Peace to ensure that the interests of the suspect are upheld, Green said.

"We have over 20,000 images on the database already, but there are some particular volunteers who are not on the system - persons with long dreadlocks, rastafarians, albinos and other persons. It's persons with unusual appearances that are not on the system," Green said.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewellyn, was full of praises for the system which she said will allow for the protection of witnesses and accused persons and will be a welcome enhancement to an overburdened justice system.

"This particular process will not only help the prosecution which has the responsibility to prove the case beyond any reasonable doubt, but to prove the identity of the offender," Llewellyn told reporters. "I see this as one other tool that law enforcement can use with integrity and fairness to make sure that the operational efficiencies of the justice system will be maintained."

And Public Defender Earl Witter also praised the implementation of the identification equipment while Director of the Narcotics Affairs Division of the US Embassy, Andrea Lewis, praised local authorities in their bid to modernise the capabilities of the island's constabulary.

The system will come on stream early next month and will be installed at police stations in Kingston, St Catherine, Manchester, St James and St Ann. Six police sergeants have been trained in the use of the equipment by cops from the British Metropolitan Police.