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Putting suspects in the picture

A technique which turns eye-witnesses' descriptions into a realistic picture image is likely to give police investigating crimes a more accurate picture of potential suspects in the future.

The evolutionary facial imaging (Evofit) system, developed by Stirling University, Scotland, is a different approach to generating holistic face images.

Using computer technology, it analyses descriptions provided by any number of witnesses and 'morphs' them into a composite image that increases recognition rates significantly.

The face shape and appearance are evaluated using principal components analysis (PCA), a traditional statistical technique that identifies the main modes of variation in a set of data. From PCA, novel faces are generated by the computer. Where there are multiple witnesses, individual likenesses are produced based on what is remembered.

The system, still under development, has already been used in the search for a young man wanted in connection with many sexual assaults in southern England over the past two years.

Working with one of the victims, a holistic image was released on BBC TV and a number of calls from the public are being followed up. Evofit is funded by the UK government's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

For further details contact Dr Peter Hancock, Stirling University, tel: (0944) 1786 467675, e-mail: [email protected]

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