Kent Police to buy 3D scanners to cut accident delays
Kent Police has been awarded £160,000 to pay for two 3D laser scanners to help cut the time a road is closed following an accident.
Officers currently have to make a detailed log of everything at the scene of a collision.
It is hoped the scanners will save time by creating a 3D image of the site, which can be studied in greater detail.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Adams said the scanners could improve opening times by up to an hour and a half.
"What these scanners allow us to do is take a picture of a scene from a number of different angles to turn it into a 3D picture," he said.
"And we can use that on a computer screen to represent what has happened at the scene and the measurements of where things are.
"We can represent that as evidence, should we need to, at a court case or coroners court."
Every serious crash is treated like a murder case. Officers protect the scene, take forensic evidence, measure distance and plot the places where debris has ended up.
This can result in a road being shut for many hours while police carry out their work.
ACC Adams added: "The work that has been done on this has indicated that on average it will improve the opening of roads by 39 minutes.
"Our work indicates that this can be increased by an hour and a half in some instances."
The money for the scanners has been made available by the Department for Transport.