Harrow council scraps lie detector after funding is axed

A London council that used lie-detector software to successfully catch benefit cheats has had to end the scheme because it cannot afford to fund it.

Harrow, which was the first borough in the country to test the equipment, estimates it saved up to £50,000 a month using the technology.

The system works by tracking variations in a caller's voice over the course of a telephone call. Changes in tone and verbal patterns such as repetition or vagueness — often associated with lying — meant the call would be marked as high risk.

Over the whole trial period, between May 2007 and December last year, the council screened about 4,300 calls and estimates it saved £550,000.

Council chiefs say they can no longer afford to run the scheme after the Department for Work and Pensions withdrew its £50,000-a-year subsidy towards the running costs of about £80,000.