STATE-OF-THE-ART detection equipment is to be used by police in Yeovil in a bid to get criminals right under their thumbs to stamp out the double menace of credit card fraud and counterfeit cash.

The Avon and Somerset police force has invested in the very latest counterfeit currency detector machines to stop criminals cashing in on forged notes and is also launching a thumb-print scheme.

Around 100 thumbprint kits will be circulated to businesses within the Yeovil Retail Crime Reduction Team. Shoppers will be asked to provide a thumbprint on an inkless pad when buying goods with credit or debit cards and by cheque. The print is then kept on the shop's receipt and retained by them and can be used to check against future purchases.

Sector Inspector Trevor Ashford, of Yeovil Police, said: "The pads have been successfully used in other retail areas where they have had a dramatic effect in reducing crime."

To back up the thumbprint scheme, 40 of the new counterfeit cash detector machines will also be circulated to shops and traders who are members of the YRCRT.

It follows the successful arrest and prosecution of a counterfeiter who attempted to pass a fake £20 Bank of Scotland note. The fraudster had used fake notes at several stores in the town as other detector machines already in place had failed to spot they were illegal.

Insp Ashford added: "Six shops in Yeovil had already been duped into accepting forged notes, but this device detected the forgery and left a black line on it."

Staff where the dud note was finally identified alerted police as the fraudster fled. Other stores linked by radio under the crime warning system also operating in Yeovil were given a description of the offender.

Insp Ashford explained: "A store detective spotted the suspect in Woolworths and officers were called to arrest the man. He admitted the forgery offence and asked for 29 others to be taken into consideration."

The man was jailed for nine months and it was revealed that he had been passing counterfeit currency for some time, but the quality of the paper the notes had been printed on meant that basic detector machines had failed to pick up the fact they were fake.

"There is a feeling that with the new European currency coming on board, criminals will make more and more of an attempt to forge bank notes," added Insp Ashford. "But they had better be warned that we will be ready for them with this new state-of-the-art equipment."