Move over Columbo: How police in Essex are pioneering the use of lie detectors in 'stuffy' British legal system

But polygraphs- or lie detector tests- have traditionally been shunned by the stuffy British legal establishment.

That could all be about to change after Essex Police obtained a court order forcing a convicted paedophile to take regular tests as part of his rehabilitation.

The force has been using the controversial tests- which are not admissible in a British court of law- to monitor sex offenders since January.

DC Ned Kelly, who oversees the programme, invited our reporter to take a simple version of the test.

He said: “It’s a primeval reaction that we have to stress. Everyone deals with it in a certain way. It goes back to when we were cavemen.

“It’s the old fight, flight or freeze situation.

“We have no control over it, it’s just how we respond. It’s like when people are driving and take their eye off the road and suddenly the lights go red- they will respond in a certain way.

“It’s the same when they tell a lie.”

The test uses gadgets to monitor five key areas of physiology.

Firstly, the subject sits on a pad to monitor any movements, before two cables are wrapped around the chest to monitor breathing.

Three clips are placed onto the fingers to monitor blood flow and sweat gland activity.

Finally, a blood pressure arm band is placed around the right bicep.

DC Kelly is able to monitor the results in real-time and uses an experienced eye to judge what sits behind the responses.

Although the test he gives our reporter turns out to be a bit of fun, his real work is serious and important- and involves asking the kind of questions many people might not be able to stomach.

He said: “We normally test them on their compliance, as well as their thoughts and fantasies.

“We might ask: ‘Have you touched your penis while thinking of a child?’ “They might say ‘no’ and it might not necessarily be a lie, but the polygraph would pick up that they had a problem with the question and that might reveal something else.

“If someone struggles with a question there is usually a reason behind it.”

DC Kelly said the tests- more than 20 since January- have even turned up some new offences.

He believes many more court orders will follow.

He said: “As a polygraph examiner I still can’t make someone take it. But if they say no to me then they can still be arrested for breaching that order.

“They have been doing it in the states for 100 years. It’s part of their daily life. We are like pioneers in this country at the moment.”

IT WAS FAR TOUGHER THAN I EXPECTED

LIKE many people before me, I thought I would be cool and calm enough to pass a lie detector test.

But it is impossible not to become slightly apprehensive when the monitors are placed on various parts of your body.

You become acutely aware that even your slightest involuntary reactions are being placed under scrutiny.

Rather than take a full test, which can last up to four hours, Det Con Kelly hooked me up to the gadgets to take an “acquaintance” test.

This is designed to reveal whether someone is capable of having their reactions to lying picked up.

The test involved telling a simple porkie, as I was asked to chose a number between one and eight and write it down.

I was quizzed on my choice, and when it came to answering ‘no’ to my chosen number five I tried my hardest to relax – but cracked under the pressure.

Chest monitors showed that my breathing had changed, but it was the blood pressure monitor on my finger which was the strongest indication.

Det Con Kelly told me: “When you are presented with stress your body withdraws blood to protect the vital organs. If the test was on something significant I would have seen even stronger responses.”