The e-fit system seems to be standard police procedure in a lot of countries, doesn't it.
Just found this fascinating tidbit regarding the success of e-fits. I looked this up because I remember hearing on a crimewatch episode a long time ago the claim that e-fits had assisted the police on many occasions.
The E-FIT and Pro-fit systems used in the UK have been subjected to a number of formal academic examinations. In these studies, composites were correctly named,[clarification needed] either immediately or a few hours after construction, approximately 20% of the time.[1][2][3] In one study in which witnesses were required to wait two days before constructing a composite, which matches real use more closely, naming rates fell to only a few percent.[4][/b]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-FIT
That's very interesting.
I suppose that it's difficult to generalize. We all know that some faces are characteristic, most aren't.
I've recently seen a picture of one of the disguises used by Ernesto Guevara (actually the one the Che used to enter in Bolivia). He changed his hair totally and was shaved... His so singular way of looking, his nose, his mouth, all this is there, but we're cheated by the hair and lack of beard.