SA police take the hi-tech road
Thapelo Sakoana
12 May 2006The South African Police Service (SAPS) will begin using 108 new Live Scan Booking stations this year in a bid to enhance the country's Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).
These devices have the ability to capture finger and palm prints electronically, thus improving the quality of fingerprints added to the AFIS database.
Addressing journalists in Pretoria on Thursday, Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour said the technology would improve police turn-around times and service delivery as it was a "clean system," eliminating the need to use black ink.
The SAPS has also begun the process of centralising its ballistics identification system, which links firearms to crime scenes.
"This will ensure an improvement in respect of the success rate regarding the linking and solving of firearm-related cases," Balfour said
The minister said the SAPS was expanding the use of closed circuit television monitoring systems in KwaMashu and Inanda outside Durban and Mafikeng in North West province.
Source: BuaNews
