Tracking criminals and terrorists is a daunting task that requires precision to distinguish between law-abiding citizens and malign actors. This challenge exists on a small scale in cities and towns and on a larger scale across a country or region where terrorists and criminals lurk. Security specialists are taking a high-tech approach to tracking and capturing criminals and terrorists. Kuwaiti Col. Ahmad Al-Khalidi, director of Identity Investigation and Electronic Research in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior, revealed a new system that contains millions of biometric records to help identify known criminals.
The Ministry of Interior used this technology primarily for security, but many agencies are using it in day-to-day operations. The ministry checks the biometric entries of visitors at airports and borders against the database of criminals and terrorists, as well as stores a record of the visitor in the database. This technology is connected with security agencies in the Gulf states to restrict the movements of criminals and terrorists. For instance, if a person who was deported from Kuwait attempts to enter another Gulf state, the person will be denied entry.
With this technology, criminal records are shared much faster among the Gulf region. In the past, fingerprints were recorded with ink and paper and stored in a cabinet. To forward them to other security agencies, a clerk had to locate the folder and photocopy records. Such a process was inefficient and exposed original documents to damage or loss. The high-tech database shares the record with a click of the mouse, and the copy sent to other agencies is identical to the original.
More than 3,000 records are processed daily by the system without the need of a staffer’s direct oversight. The database is also connected to various Kuwait institutions, such as the passport agency, immigration, military colleges and security agencies, to eliminate bureaucratic delays that sometimes allow criminals free movement.
Source: Al-Watan newspaper