Police receive first Fingerprinting Identification System

Grenada on Monday became the second of 13 Caribbean territories to receive an Automated Fingerprinting Identification System (AFIS) from the US Government as part of efforts to assist in crime solving in the region.

“Together all these islands will be able to work to help each other solve crime,” said US Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Dr. Larry Palmer.

Commissioner of Police, Winston James (centre), signing the
fingerprinting agreement, while US Ambassador to Barbados
and the Eastern Caribbean, Dr. Larry Palmer (right), and Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of National Security look on.

“The AFIS will enhance border security for the individual islands,” he said, while explaining that it will make the searching of database with fingerprints much easier and quicker.

The first of its kind system for the region, it is funded by the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and through Diplomatic Security Anti-Terrorism Assistance, the United States is providing AFIS to 13 Caribbean nations, including the entire Eastern Caribbean, at a cost of US$250 000 per country.

Officer in charge of the Criminal Investigating Department, Superintendent Trevor Modeste, said that the system, which was installed since January 2013, has already assisted with solving 79 cold cases, with one dating way back to the 1990s.

“Most of those cases had to do with robbery of properties and we have had made a number of arrests,” he said.

“All fingerprints in the current system will be transferred to digital system,” Modeste said.

AFIS tightens border security against known criminals and terrorists by providing law enforcement with the capacity to collect and share digital fingerprint data.

“This powerful resource has already yielded significant benefits for Grenada, as law enforcement officers have used the system to search and identify criminals through the AFIS digital fingerprint database,” said Commissioner of Police, Winston James, who called on officers to not see the equipment as a substitute for traditional policing.

“Take more time in searching for evidence on the scene as fingerprinting will help in clearing up and solving crimes,” he said.

Ambassador Palmer said that digitisation of Grenada’s and other CARICOM nations’ paper fingerprint cards will raise Caribbean nations to the international law enforcement standard and ease co-ordination among law enforcement entities. (LS)