Dorset Police get a 3D Scanner

The Department for Transport has given police forces in the South West over £340,000 to spend on 3D laser scanners. The technology creates a 3D image of crash scenes and is used to cut the amount of time that roads are closed after an accident by allowing police to examine the scene 'virtually'.

With no motorways and relatively few dual carriageways, an accident can close a major road in Dorset for many hours.

Roads notorious for long closures (the A31 between Sturminster Marshall and Bere Regis in particular) and where alternative routes are long and indirect, should directly benefit from the technology. As a major route for the Olympics, the A31 and A35 are undergoing a series of improvements currently, aimed at easing traffic flow but an accident could shut it down at any time.

Devon & Cornwall and Somerset & Avon are also getting 3D scanners.