A man is due in court on Monday charged with two burglaries after appearing in a video identity parade.

The 30-year-old is due before Pontefract Magistrates Court.

West Yorkshire Police have so far conducted five parades using VIPER - Video Identification Parades Electronic Recording.

It is the first court case using the new technology since the system was set up at the end of October.

Face-to-face

VIPER was developed by the Force's Imaging Unit at Bishopgarth Training and Development Centre in Wakefield five years ago.

Witnesses and victims of crime no longer have to come face-to-face with a suspect during a police identity parade.

Instead they watch a video line-up which shows a 15-second head and shoulder moving shot of the alleged offender and eight similar looking images from a database.

A video parade can be made within three hours of arrest.

Reduce crime

The system has been introduced to 10 robbery hotspots throughout the UK through a �7.6m government grant.

Last year the Wakefield division conducted more than 100 VIPER parades but officers and witnesses had to go to Leeds to view them.

Now parades can be viewed in Pontefract or the comfort of the witnesses' home.