The
new NAFIS replaced its predecessor, the NEC NAFIS that had operated
in Australia since the early 1980’s. The new NAFIS adopts more
precise technical standards, including the international 'grey
scale' image standards containing 256 shades of grey (from black
through to white). The use of grey scale images complies with the
American National Standards Institute/ National Institute for
Standards and Technology (ANSI/ NIST) standards for fingerprint data
exchange, making it easy for Australian police services to provide
fingerprint records to overseas police forces such as Interpol or
the FBI, when necessary.
As with all
CrimTrac systems the NAFIS system design incorporates stringent data
and communications security measures.
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The “SAGEM” (AFIS
Vendor) Livescan Device
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Workstations
for the new CrimTrac system are located in 39 city and remote
locations throughout Australia, connected to a central database of
2.6 million "ten print" records and 320,000 prints from
unsolved crime scenes. Forensic trained personnel are able to use
the NAFIS workstations to scan fingerprints from fingerprint cards,
capture and enhance crime scene finger and palm evidence and upload
digital fingerprint images. The same workstations enable the
fingerprint expert to review and assess matches made by the NAFIS
system by comparing the high quality images made available by the
new technology.
Additionally,
the new fingerprint system captures palm prints images obtained by
police during the arrest process. Palm prints make up approximately
twenty per cent of print evidence gathered at crime scenes. NAFIS
enables crime scene palm evidence to be searched against the 4.8
million palm records held on what is now recognised as the largest
palm database in the world.
It
provides fast, powerful and accurate matching capabilities for the
increasing numbers of Australian fingerprint records. Enhanced data
input methods have improved the quality and speed of data capture.
The NAFIS system now accepts fingerprints taken by a range of
methods, including the 'Livescan' technology.
Livescan's
inkless process uses electronic and laser technology to scan fingers
and palms from a flat glass optical block to produce clear,
undistorted records. This process enables police officers to enter
the fingerprint records into NAFIS electronically for an immediate
search against the national database and receive confirmation of a
positive identification before that person is released from custody.
Crime
scene officers also benefit from the new technology. They are able
to use digital cameras for collecting fingerprints, providing faster
and more reliable data collection techniques and a further reduction
in data input processing.
'CrimTrac' will act as the conduit through which the
Australian Police community will be able to access pools of data
held by the individual police jurisdictions and other law
enforcement agencies. The Criminal Police Record System (CPRS) will
enable police investigators access to data including; a national
Child Sex Offender register and fast access to important operational
information including domestic violence orders, person warnings and
stolen vehicle and firearm information.
By
linking information held by the individual law enforcement agencies
across the country, it is envisaged that there will be a significant
increase in the number of persons identified and prosecuted for
criminal activities. It is one day envisaged that such systems will
allow police officers in the tiniest outback town or the heart of a
capital city to get the information they need, when they need it.
To find out more information about the
CrimTrac
Agency and what role it plays in Australian Law Enforcement
please visit the CrimTrac site by clicking
here.
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