Traffic congestion caused by collisions on London’s roads is set to be significantly reduced following the delivery of two additional laser scanners. Purchased by the Metropolitan Police the RIEGL laser scanners will be used to collect vital evidence at the scene of collisions. Data collected by the scanners is used to produce high quality graphics and detailed plans of collision scenes for use in subsequent enquiries and court cases. The Metropolitan Police already have three laser scanners in regular use by Collision Investigators.

The Metropolitan Police was one of the first forces in the UK to adopt this technology and undertook extensive trials before purchasing the RIEGL laser scanners from 3D Laser Mapping.

“Before committing budget and resources, to laser scanning in general and this device in particular, it was important that we fully understood the benefits it afforded,” commented Sergeant Dave Kingston senior collision investigator of the Metropolitan Police Road Death Investigation Unit. “An independent pilot study concluded the RIEGL laser scanners delivered an onsite time saving of 50 per cent compared to traditional total station surveying and collected thirty per cent more data than other scanners we trialled, helping us cut road closure times by up to 90 minutes.”

“This latest purchase means we now have laser scanning capability within each of the Investigation Units,” continued PS Kingston, “meaning every collision we respond to can be processed to obtain highly accurate measurements of the entire scene in the shortest possible time.”