The Smiths Detection eqo body imaging system has been named as one of the joint winners of the Equipment and Technology Innovation Award 2010, organised by A|D|S, the UK’s aerospace, defence and security trade organisation.

A|D|S, the UK’s aerospace, defence and security trade organisation, on Tuesday 16 March announced the winners of the Equipment and Technology Innovation Awards 2010, sponsored by General Dynamics UK, at the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) exhibition. HOSDB takes place in Farnborough, Hampshire from 16 to 18 March 2010 and is the UK’s only secure event for displaying the latest security equipment for law enforcement and public security.

Smiths Detection, working in partnership with HOSDB, entered the eqo, which is a next-generation people screening technology using groundbreaking technology to address many of the limitations that image-based people screening have encountered to date.

GriffComm, together with the Metropolitan Police Forensic Audio Laboratory, entered their Conversation Carver Software. This is an innovative application for software-based automatic speaker segmentation in audio as a first step to disguise or mask identity of vulnerable witnesses or undercover officers in police interviews.

Ian Godden, chairman of A|D|S, said: “Innovative technology frequently springs from ideas born in the frontline – for it is often those who are working intimately with the equipment who know what works best. The ETI awards recognise this, and have selected numerous successful collaborations in the past between the frontline and industry.”

“I am very pleased to see that this year’s entries have produced so many sterling pieces of technology that will aid both our security forces and industry at large. The competition for the awards has been exceptionally high this year, but I am pleased to announce that Smiths Detection partnership with HOSDB, and GriffComm’s with the Metropolitan Police Forensic Audio Laboratory, have been awarded jointly the ETI awards for 2010.”

The awards were presented by Christopher Elliott, director of doctrine and strategic analysis, General Dynamics UK and Shaun Hipgrave, deputy vice-president for security, A|D|S.