Bhopal: Police station sans fingerprint scanner fails National Automated Fingerprint Identification system

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The National Automated Fingerprint Identification (NAFI) System makes it mandatory to take fingerprints of every accused in police stations, however, the absence of scanners at police stations has failed the implementation of the system in the state.

The SCRB is waiting for the funds to install the scanner in the police stations. There are more than 1000 police stations in the state and huge funds will be required to install the gadget.

State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) ADG, Chanchal Shekhar, had written to the directorate of prosecution asking it to record the fingerprints of the accused and the convicts for the NAFI system at the court level. The funds are a concern and shortly the issue will be resolved. The funds are shared by Centre and state governments, ‘hopefully in the next financial year the funds requirement will be fulfilled,’ he said.

NAFI, conceptualised by the National Crime Records Bureau, aims at online collection and creation of a national database of fingerprints. MP was among the first states in the country to implement the system in the country and it has already helped crack tens of difficult cases in the past two years.   However, the police are facing problems in collecting fingerprints for the system, because of the lack of scanner.

Why fingerprints at police station

The Supreme Court has directed the states that the accused in cases which entail maximum sentence up to seven years are not to be arrested. In these cases, the fingerprints can be taken at the police stations whenever the accused is brought there. It is mandatory to take the fingerprint of the persons accused of molestation, stalking and outraging the modesty of women.

These offences have the penalty of less than seven years of conviction. There are jails which do not have any provision for recording the fingerprints of the inmates – whether convicts or undertrials, and it is a matter of concern.