Srinagar, Jan 01: In an effort to curb terrorism and other crimes in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the UT is all set to have the first ever Finger Print Bureau to assist law enforcement in cross-referencing crime scene fingerprints with existing records for streamlined criminal record checks.
According to an official order, the J&K Govt has granted approval for 73 positions within the forthcoming Fingerprint bureau. The bureau, led by a Senior Superintendent of Police, will receive support from one Superintendent of Police and two Deputy Superintendents of Police, the order reads.
The inclusion of 22 Sub-Inspectors and 28 selection-grade constables have also been sanctioned in the new wing, it added. An official told Rising Kashmir that the decision aims to enhance efforts in combating terrorism and other crimes within the J&K UT. He said that the establishment of the bureau is anticipated to simplify suspect identification and facilitate the connection of various incidents related to terrorism.
The official further said that the primary role of the Finger Print Bureau is to assist law enforcement in conducting criminal record checks by analyzing fingerprints from terrorism-related crime scenes, working in conjunction with existing records.
This process will also help in the identification of suspects and the establishment of connections between various criminal activities, he added.
The bureau, whenever required, will maintain a comprehensive and secure database of fingerprint records, officials said, adding that it will also ensure systematic organization and regular updates for prompt and accurate retrieval of information.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone V K Birdi in an exclusive chat with Rising Kashmir said that fingerprinting is an important element of criminal justice system as far as evidence and connecting the accused with the crime and is always appreciated as evidence before court of law for bringing him to justice. He said that the fingerprint system has been in place before also but now its computerization will help in quick retrieval to relate and collate the things.
Pertinently, the ’05 days’ workshop each in Kashmir and Jammu Zone was organised by Crime Branch, J&K in collaboration with Central Finger Print Bureau, NCRB, New Delhi to train the police officers for exploring the full potential of National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) in J&K.
The participating police officers were trained on use of NAFIS for investigation purposes and importance of NAFIS repository for the purpose of identification and investigation of criminal matters and to preserve records collected.
The participating officers were urged by NAFIS trainers and experts to create a high-quality database of NAFIS, adopt the web-based NAFIS application, and incorporate the latest investigation skills in handling criminal cases.
