The home secretary has announced two multi-million pound initiatives aimed at fighting crime.

Jack Straw announced on Thursday a new national palm-print identification system and a national forensic firearms database. The high-tech schemes had resulted from successful Home Office bids to the Treasury's capital modernisation fund.

The computerised National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database, which will cost £1.4 million, will store details of all illegal firearms recovered by police forces in England and Wales.

Police intelligence experts hope it will help to establish links between different incidents and provide information on the use of firearms in criminal activities.

The £17 million Palm Print Identification System for police forces in England and Wales will provide police forensic officers with instant comparisons of scene of crime evidence against national data.

The Home Office predicts the system will increase detection rates - particularly of volume crimes such as burglary - by up to 20 per cent.

Launching the initiatives the home secretary said: "Modernising the criminal justice system is a cornerstone of effective crime fighting and reducing the fear of crime. This new investment in innovation will ensure that crimes are detected, offenders prosecuted, and victims supported more quickly, effectively and efficiently."