藏在咖啡杯盖中的侦查神器

It resembles nothing more innocuous than an ordinary coffee cup.

从表面上看，这就是一个再普通不过的咖啡杯。

But it is actually a disguised hi-tech gadget which could become a potent new weapon in the fight against criminals, enemy spies and benefits cheats.

但实际里面藏着尖端科技。这个产品可能会成为对抗犯罪分子、敌方间谍和福利欺骗的有力武器。

For the plastic lid, which is almost identical to millions handed out by coffee chains such as Starbucks and Caffe Nero, contains James Bond-style filming and listening equipment.

这是因为这款塑料杯盖里蕴藏着詹姆斯•邦德(James Bond)式的拍摄和窃听设备，虽然它的外表几乎和星巴克(Starbucks)或是尼路咖啡(Caffe Nero)等咖啡连锁店中使用的千千万万个咖啡杯盖没什么两样。

It is fitted out with a high-definition pinhole camera and an eavesdropping device that can listen into and record a room full of people.

这个杯盖配备了高分辨率的针孔摄像机以及可以监听并记录整间屋子里所有人声音的窃听设备。

Investigators will be able to gather vital evidence using the device, which is turned on by pressing the letter 'H' – which stands for 'Hot' – on the innovative lid.

调查人员只需轻轻按下这个创意杯盖上的“H键(代表英文HOT)，就能开启设备，并用它来收集重要证据。

The lid, which is 9cm in diameter, has been created by Cornwall-based company LawMate UK to fit any takeaway coffee cup.

这个直径为9厘米的杯盖由总部位于康沃尔(Cornwall)的LawMate UK公司设计，适用于所有外带咖啡杯。

Britain's police and security services are said to be 'very interested' in the device and store detectives and private investigators have placed orders to use it in undercover work, say the company.

该公司称：英国警方以及安全部门对这个设备“十分有兴趣，一些商店侦探和私家侦探已经下单订购该设备，用于卧底工作。

LawMate UK has already sold more than 100 of the devices. It will be unveiled officially in London on Tuesday at DSEI, the world's largest defence and security exhibition.

LawMate UK已经售出100多台设备，并且将在周二在伦敦举行的世界最大防务与安全设备展——英国国际防务展(DSEI)上正式露面。

The idea for the coffee lid came from the Association of British Detectives and undercover police as many covert recording devices are commonly known in the criminal underworld.

这款咖啡杯盖的创意源自于英国侦探协会(Association of British Detectives)以及卧底警察，因为许多秘密录音设备是黑社会中众所周知的手段。

Tim Cowley, head of LawMate UK, said: 'It's very easy to get clocked for what you are doing undercover so to have something that people use everyday is crucial.

LawMate UK公司掌门人蒂姆•考利(Tim Cowley)说：“卧底的工作很容易被察觉，因此利用人们的日常用品是至关重要的。

'You either simply pop it on a table aimed at the targets or simply hold it in your hand and stand on a street corner or in a coffee shop. It can also be used in face-to-face meetings.

“你要做的只是把它放在桌子上对准目标人物或是在街角或咖啡店中将它握在手中。它也可以用在面对面会议中。

'You can stick it on anything on a range of coffee cups from different manufacturers and still drink from it.'

你可以把它装在不同厂家的一系列咖啡杯上，还可以正常地喝咖啡。

The pin-hole camera produces video footage of sufficient quality to use in prosecutions and it is marked with a time and date stamp so it can be submitted as evidence in court.

针孔摄像机可以拍出能够用于起诉的高质量视频片段，同时带有时间和日期水印，足以作为法庭证物提交。

The lid has a self-contained recording system that can pick up voices up to 15ft away.

这个咖啡杯盖有独立的录音系统，能够识别15英尺(约合4.57 米)以外的声音。

All the electronics are fed by a battery that lasts for almost two hours.

设备的全部电子器件由一块电池带动，其电量可维持近两个小时。

For the last decade LawMate’s covert recording devices, including key fob voice recorders and buttonhole cameras, have been used by the Ministry of Defence and the police.

在过去的十年中，英国国防部(Ministry of Defence)和警方都有使用LawMate公司的秘密录音设备，比如录音钥匙链和纽扣摄像机。

More recently, the Department for Work and Pensions have used them to tackle the rise of benefit fraud.

最近，英国就业与退休保障部门将其运用于解决愈演愈烈的福利欺诈问题。

Vocabulary

innocuous：无关痛痒的，无害的

pinhole camera：针孔照相机，针孔摄影机

eavesdropping：窃听，偷听

diameter：直径

store detectives：店铺侦探，专抓在商店里行窃者的人

self-contained：独立的

covert recording：隐秘的