Crimes involving false identities cost up to �1bn yearly

Crimes involving someone else's identity or forged documents cost the UK more than �1 billion a year.

The Metropolitan Police is putting together a report outlining new measures that would make it harder for people to get away with such crimes.

Much of the organised crime and terrorist activity in Britain is carried out by people using false identities and forged documents such as passports, driving licences and birth certificates.

Police are to ask the Home Office to consider making it a criminal offence merely to posses a fraudulent document.

They also want microchips and other types of new technology used to make it harder to carry out cloning and forgery.

Another suggestion is to issue national insurance numbers at birth so an individual's identity can be cross-checked throughout life.

The government has already toughened the law in this area and the Home Secretary David Blunkett is proposing a national identity car, but the police want further action.