Approval for installing AFPIS

The government has given approval for installing Automated Finger Print Identification System (AFPIS) at all fingerprint bureaus. A firm based in Orissa will provide the software at a cost of Rs.50 lakh. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Fingerprint Bureau) Sasidhara Kurup said the technology would be installed in a couple of months.

Initially, it would be set up at the central bureau in Thiruvananthapuram and then extended to the other bureaus, including Kozhikode and Vadakara, in the second phase via a dedicated online system.

Now, fingerprint experts trace the identity of criminals manually. The central bureau was using the Finger Print Analysis and Criminal Tracing System (FACTS) from 1999-2004. The department did not update this software following technical glitches, Mr. Kurup said.

The department and the company would reach an agreement for updating the AFPIS software. The software also has the facility to add all existing digitized fingerprints, he added.