Police officers will be able to fingerprint and take a DNA sample from anyone they arrest under proposals announced last week by the Home Office.
At present the police are only allowed to record these details when a suspect has been charged. But an amendment to the criminal justice bill will extend the power.
Lord Falconer, the Home Office minister, said that this would help to verify a suspect's identity and prevent criminals "evading detection by giving the police a false name and address". He added: "Taking fingerprints means the police can be 100% certain about the identity of the person in their custody."
The fingerprints and DNA samples will be added to Britain's national DNA and fingerprint databases.
Ian Blair, the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan police, welcomed the announcement. He said it would "allow vulnerable or violent people to be identified more quickly".
John Wadham, director of Liberty, said the new power showed that the Government wanted to treat people as suspects not citizens.
"If there is any significant evidence that someone is involved in a crime, these very personal markers can already be taken. This simply treats everyone who has ever been wrongly arrested as guilty by implication."
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