The Importance of Biometric Database for Law Enforcement Management
Law enforcement agencies need to be adaptive, flexible and agile in choosing biometric technology to combat identity fraud and security breaches, secure confidential data, reduce costs and to improve overall user experience. Does your law enforcement agency really need biometric database? The story of Bhutan will help you to decide.
According to Kuensel, a Bhutanese daily newspaper, Bhutan’s Department of Civil Registration and Census (DCRC) has announced a new initiative to collect biometric data from citizens to lower crime rates in the country. The newspaper also states that Bhutanese police departments have received 252 fingerprint identification requests over the last five years. Out of those, 81 matched fingerprints in their database of over 40,000. However, 91 fingerprints did not match, and 72 were unsuitable for comparison.
With minimal data in the system, police departments had difficulty matching fingerprints and solving crimes. As a result, the police department teamed up with the Department of Civil Registration and Censuses (DCRC) to develop automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) that will record the fingerprints of every citizen.
DCRC recently launched a pilot project as part of its national digital identity initiative. The project will collect biometric data from country citizens, such as fingerprints, iris, palm, and facial data.
Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) will assist in solving crimes and identifying fingerprints on disputed documents from a variety of sources, including courts, the National Land Commission, and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Fingerprints that had blurred or smudged were declared unacceptable compared to legal documents imprinted using a stamping pad. Police started collecting fingerprints in 2016 and now have over 40,000 fingerprints in their database. Every day, the number of data increases. The data includes criminals, suspects, those going abroad to study or work, volunteers, and those with a license to own a gun. Before 2016, the police department had to personally register an individual’s fingerprint, which was time-consuming and impossible to discover suspects’ fingerprints from hardcopies of fingerprints. If the project were completed using a new database, there would be no unmatched results.
The new system would use the most advanced technologies, making data matching easier. The government could also use it to give residents digital identification services in the future. While the AFIS will be available in every police station, Kuensel confirmed that all sensitive information would be transmitted over a VPN to ensure the safety of residents’ biometric data.
The Importance of Law Enforcement Management Solution
Technology and software have become so important in our society that they affect almost every part of any organization, including law enforcement. Technology advancements help police focus on keeping their communities safe by making the reporting process more efficient. Law enforcement digital solutions save time when it comes to preparing reports and assist investigators in spotting trends and finding links between cases.
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