Hyderabad: The Telangana State Fingerprinting Department is gearing up for expansion by allotting 80 digital scanners in addition to the already sanctioned 70 from the previous year. These digital scanners are used to identify habitual offenders via fingerprint matches.
The scanners are the new AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) Equipment, that was imported from Russia only last year to conduct fingerprint scanning, mobile AFIS and mobile security in devices. The scanners will take impressions of the accused through electronic live scanning, in addition to being instrumental in matching suspects in the database with the newly accused. Last year there were as many as 365 scenes of crime being examined, along with 48 chance-prints being collected. In addition, 1013 ex-convicts were traced after 19,303 checks were completed.
The department begins training of a minimum of two constables at each police station to operate the software as new devices are being added to the police force, said an official from the office of Additional DGP CID. “The allotment of the scanners will allow all the local police stations to have quicker results. Once the palm or fingerprints are collected at the station, the prints will automatically be uploaded onto the server. The server will be then accessible to match other profiles to the current print. Currently, the department has been successful in joining both the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana servers. The police may also use the information to gain insight into any habitual offenders who are in the system but caught for the same incident again,” he said.
The new scanners will go a long way in speeding up the fingerprinting process while keeping accuracy intact. “The aim of the department with the addition of the scanners, is to train every official from the district and city police departments to ensure accountability.”
