Following the mandated destruction of numerous fingerprint records, the police are now focusing on enhancing their biometric identification technology, which includes fingerprints, scars, tattoos, and facial recognition.
As part of this initiative, the police plan to deploy numerous ‘biometric recording devices’ in the field for the first time. A recent tender sought proposals from technology companies to capture, transmit, and store fingerprint scans from the field.
In a statement on Tuesday, police announced their intention to replace the 50 existing fingerprint scanners in police stations, aiming to expand biometric capabilities for arrestee prints and provide portable devices for smaller stations, mobile units, and road policing.
The tender revealed that police expect to collect 600,000 crime scene prints annually, along with 50,000 prints at police stations. Some portable scanners, like those used in the U.S., can identify individuals within a minute during patrols.
A tender inquiry confirmed the large volume of prints to be processed, emphasising that this initiative is not an extension of the current scope.
Initially, police declined to provide details to state media, citing the commercial nature of the process, but later clarified their objectives. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) was unaware of the tender, and the police had not consulted their external advisory panel on emerging technology. However, panel chair Professor Michael Macaulay noted that the police typically follow the panel’s advice.
The OPC had previously mandated the destruction of unlawfully retained fingerprints gathered without proper consent. By late 2022, police were ordered to eliminate these records, but faced challenges meeting the deadline due to the volume of prints.
On Monday, police confirmed to state media that all “Youth Voluntary Fingerprints” had been destroyed. The OPC’s directives included improving policies and guidelines around fingerprinting, with ongoing efforts reported in March.
The OPC emphasised that ongoing use of biometric data requires adherence to updated protocols for collection, security, retention, and disposal. Any new technology should support these standards, encouraging transparency from the police.
The police union criticised the privacy restrictions on voluntary fingerprints, claiming they hinder crime prevention and resolution efforts. Police have employed electronic fingerprinting since at least 2008, with a vision of integrating biometric data into a comprehensive system.
Currently Japanese company NEC supplies police with facial recognition and fingerprinting technology, used in 50 kiosks across 40 stations. Portable units in ‘booze buses’ also facilitate on-the-spot scans.
Fingerprint and palm data feed into the police’s ABIS system, which has undergone recent upgrades. The tender aims to transition to a digital system, capable of storing 2.5 million fingerprint records and interfacing with Interpol. It also seeks to incorporate scanning for footprints and a system for capturing custody photographs.
The OPC’s draft code proposes stricter rules for processing biometric information. Concurrently, police are exploring new fingerprint technologies amid delays in updating the 111-call system and core intelligence-gathering technologies.
Image credit: George Prentzas
The police are a corporation obeying a captured government, implementing fraudulent globalist deception.
I do not obey treasonous criminals, nor their agents.
The police have been armed with high tech weaponry supplied by globalist interests and are charged with protecting those offshore interests and investments over and above our own welfare.
They are serving globalist masters as are the treasonous mass murderous nzgovtcorp.
I DO NOT CONSENT.
I DO NOT OBEY TREASONOUS CRIMINALS NOR THEIR AGENTS.
ARREST THESE CRIMINALS NOW.
Amen, Brother.
Amen 2.
The only good police are dead police.
Of course they want to control, monitor, collection personal information and spy on people. Privacy be damned!
A few genuine people do join the police. That being said, a good number of them are, I suspect, control freaks and malignant narcissists, who get off on bullying others. They would never get away with it any other way. This is why they have no qualms about gleefully abusing peoples rights, beating protesters and whole raft of other odious, unethical behaviours.
The irony is, the dystopian nation prison the want to craft for us, also applies to them and their families including new generations but many are too short sighted and mal-adjusted, to comprehend this sad fact.
👍
The dystopian nation prison they want to craft for us is financed by BLACKROCK investment, which Jabcinda arranged when she visited BLACKROCK headquaters.
Can the law include a time limit and destruction of this personal information?
After what they did to Liz Gunn, the police can have my middle fingerprint right up where the sun don’t shine!