Morpho provides maintenance, support for Botswana Criminal Automated Fingerprint Identification System

Botswana Police Service (BPS) has renewed its trust in Morpho (Safran group) by signing a two-year agreement for the maintenance and support of its Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

Designed to help solve criminal cases, this system is one of the largest IT systems for Botswana Police Service and one of the most advanced systems in Africa managing high-quality 1 000 pixels per inch (ppi) ten prints and palm prints, connecting 61 sites across the country. The renewal of the contract highlights the Botswana Police Service's confidence in Morpho's world-class technology and its high quality on-hand maintenance.

“Morpho has proven its capacity to provide critical maintenance locally to support the AFIS. We have a strong local presence and are honoured to pursue our partnership with Botswana,” said Jean-Paul Deguines, Managing Director for subsidiary Morpho South Africa. "This important phase strengthens a long-term partnership based on trust with the Botswana government.”

Dr Baboloki Helen Tumediso-Magora, Director for Forensic Science Services at Botswana Police Service, stated: “It is part of our long-term strategy to improve the delivery of effective and efficient service to our citizens; the AFIS enables BPS to dramatically reduce the time taken to provide its identification and crime-solving service. The maintenance and enhancement of the system provides us with the capacity to deliver this service seamlessly; moreover, since the system is operational, we have seen the crime resolution increase significantly.