Police have approved a national rollout of new technology to replace ink and paper fingerprinting of offenders.
LiveScan is an electronic, computer-based device which reads finger and approved palm print patterns directly from the person and provides real-time identity of offenders. Fingerprints are collected into an electronic medium from the 'live' person, rather than being captured and read from ink.
LiveScan's performance and functionality has been tested by Lower Hutt Police in a pilot running since November last year. The pilot was successfully completed on 9 January when Livescan was designated as operational and subsequently approved for national roll out.
Deputy Commissioner, Rob Pope, says as well as being a much cleaner process than ink-based fingerprinting, the biggest selling point for frontline police is the ability to confirm the true identity of a recidivist offender by the end of the printing process.
"When fully in production, LiveScan technology will increase our clearance rate for fingerprint related crime, as well as reducing the number of previously unresolved prints left at crime scenes."
"The unit has set, inbuilt quality standards which ensure better quality of prints are captured," he says.
A further 40 LiveScan units will be deployed across 37 police sites in a staged roll-out during the first half of this year.
Auckland Central, the new Manukau Station and Christchurch will each receive two LiveScan units.
A unit will also be installed at the Royal New Zealand Police College specifically for recruit training. Specialist training will be provided to frontline staff.
The geographic distribution of the LiveScan units is expected to capture 83 percent of the current prisoner fingerprint volume (78,000 fingerprint forms annually).
The remaining 17 percent of processing will continue to be captured using the traditional ink and paper process.
Deputy Commissioner Pope, says the roll out of LiveScan reflects the ongoing commitment to streamlining work processes aimed at freeing up staff so they can be out on the streets where they are needed most.
"All in all, it's good news for Police and the public."
ENDS