Fingerprint analysis to go hi-tech in Madhya Pradesh
Tracking criminals and cracking blindest crime cases through fingerprint analysis could be a matter of few minutes in the coming months in Madhya Pradesh.
Tracking criminals and cracking blindest crime cases through fingerprint analysis could be a matter of few minutes in the coming months in Madhya Pradesh.
Fingerprint analysis is set to go hi-tech in MP, which could well become the first state in the country to be equipped with the most advanced Automatic Fingerprint Identity System (AFIS), as desired by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recently.
If everything goes as per plan, the Fingerprint Bureau of the state police will be equipped with the advanced AFIS by the end of 2016.
The state government has sanctioned a budget of `16 crore to get the latest AFIS and the process of bids submission by interested companies started at the State Fingerprint Bureau on Thursday.
As the cost of latest AFIS is likely to surpass the budget, the bureau has sought additional funds from the finance department for getting the critical equipment.
Bureau’s director PC Yadav said the availability of the advanced version AFIS would mark a total departure from the manual system of fingerprint matching and analysis presently practiced at the bureau.
The bureau’s operations were based on another AFIS from 2005 to 2011, but owing to crashing of the AFIS server in 2012, it is compelled to rely on manual system of fingerprint matching and analysis now.
New sub inspectors
The bureau which has been grappling with staff crunch has now got 31 new sub-inspectors (fingerprints) who after training in fingerprints collection will be deployed in 51 districts and three railway districts.
Owing to staff crunch, individual sub-inspectors had to take care of crime investigations in 3-4 districts, often making it impossible for them to visit multiple crime scenes in one day.
The bureau presently has a digital database of fingerprints of 3.76 lakh arrested people of which 1.17 lakh have been added in 2015 itself.
Benefits of advanced AFIS
Fingerprints matching/analysis through the AFIS will make the system more efficient, speedy and accurate.
If the bureau gets AFIS by year-end, the matching of chance fingerprints and suspects fingerprints with database of fingerprints of criminals and convicts could be a job a few seconds or minutes.
Once the AFIS is linked to Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & System (CCTNS), matching and analysis of fingerprints of inter-state criminals and even terrorists will turn simpler and faster, said director.