The European Commission is working on proposals for a centralised fingerprints database to help member states cooperate better in fighting serious crime, a Commission spokeswoman said on Friday.

But she denied a report by The Times that the plan involved storing fingerprints of people released without charge, as well as those convicted of offences, raising fears of a "Big Brother Europe".

European Union leaders unanimously asked the Commission in 2004 to consider proposals for such a database as part of the so-called Hague programme on developing cooperation in justice, security and home affairs.

Spokeswoman Ana-Paula Laissy said the proposal, included in the EU executive's work programme for 2008, would be consistent with EU privacy and data protection safeguards.

"The idea would be to have fingerprints, and I insist on this, only of convicted people and no other data would be centralised," she told a news conference.

Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini, who is responsible for human rights as well as justice and security, would only make a proposal once the EU's legal service had ensured it was in full conformity with data protection rules and fundamental rights.

Another official said preparations were at an early stage but it was already clear that the database would be limited to people convicted of serious offences, and access would be confined to investigations into a limited number of serious crimes.

British Conservative European Parliament member Syed Kamall denounced the idea in a statement, saying: "These proposals are dangerous, provocative and Orwellian.

"The European Union is using the threat of terrorism as a cover to erode our civil liberties, and grab yet more power from governments," he said.