Lie detector tests

Suspects will face lie detector tests in groundbreaking scheme by British police
Polygraph questioning of 25 'low level' sex offenders
Trial could lead the way to its use nationwide
By CRAIG MACKENZIE
Last updated at 10:00 AM on 31st December 2011
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Lie detector tests on suspected criminals are being used for the first time by a British police force.
Hertfordshire Police confirmed it had been using polygraphs, which monitor heart rate, brain activity, sweating and blood pressure, during questioning.
The groundbreaking scheme is helping officers decide whether to charge suspects and the trial could lead the way to its introduction nationwide.

Tested: A polygraph volunteer is asked a series of questions which monitors heart rate, sweating and blood pressure
Police tested 25 'low-level' sex offenders, with some making disclosures they might otherwise have been unlikely to and others apparently lying, the Times reported.
This prompted officers to conduct further investigations with many of the men being reclassified as posing a more serious risk to children than originally thought.

Results: The lie detector machine records the suspect's responses on a graph
The force has now been given another year for research while senior officers across the UK are investigating ways the technology could assist in solving cases.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said its Homicide Working Group advised police on the use of polygraph techniques and would follow the trial in Hertfordshire with interest.
A spokeswoman said: 'Polygraph techniques are complex and are by no means a single solution to solving crimes, potentially offering in certain circumstances an additional tool to structured interrogation.
'These initial trials are in their very early stages and we will follow their progress, working with chief officers across the country to provide further guidance if necessary.
'Whether these techniques are adopted elsewhere in the country is a matter for individual chief constables.'
Offenders can only take the tests if they volunteer, and evidence gained is not admissible in court.
Of the 10 offenders tested in April, six revealed more serious offending and testing ended so further inquiries could take place.
Of the other four, two revealed offences, thus passing the test, and received cautions and attended a sexual offender treatment programme.
The last two made disclosures and passed the test but refused to admit the offences when interviewed later. Their cases went to court. All four were placed on the sex offenders register, the newspaper said.

Pilot scheme: A man is tested in America where polygraphs are routinely used by police forces to question a suspect
Of the 15 offenders tested in November, eight failed while six passed. One was caught trying to beat the polygraph, breathing erratically and talking slowly.
Polygraphs are used routinely by police in the U.S. but are considered too unreliable for use in criminal trials in the UK.
Until now they have been mostly used on television, particular by the Jeremy Kyle Show to settle domestic disputes.
A three-year pilot study in the East and West Midlands could lead to the compulsory testing of convicted sex offenders.
The Ministry of Justice has been overseeing the project, aimed at testing sex offenders as part of their probation conditions when they are freed from prison.
Detective Chief Inspector Glen Channer, head of Hertfordshire police’s child protection unit, said lie detectors were an 'added weapon in the armory of investigative techniques'.
But the tests were never solely relied upon as evidence and were only carried out by experts in a scientific environment.
He told the Times: “It’s about as removed from the Jeremy Kyle view of lie detector testing as real policing is to Miss Marple.”
At least one other force is now considering trialling lie detectors in pre-conviction situations, it is understood