The South African Police Services has implemented biometric fingerprint technology in its departments, making the system a mandatory practice within the process of clearance checks for criminal records.
In a recent formal communiqu'e, SAPS' Criminal Record Centre notified its internal departments that it had decided to revoke all name, surname and identification number enquiries on the corporate system of the SAPS with effect from 1 July.
The police services confirmed that in future only a SAP 91(a) form submitted together with a full set of fingerprints of the applicant would be accepted for the purposes of a criminal record clearance. The reason, as agreed by both authorities and industry experts, is that names and personal identification numbers are prone to abuse, manipulation and falsification.
In order for companies to be able to initiate these checks and capture fingerprints electronically, they have to be registered or enrolled with the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). This enrolment process requires certification and training.
Ina van der Merwe, CEO of MIE, says since July of this year, AFIS is the only legal way to test the criminal record of a person.
“This system is much more accurate than what the name and ID search was - giving a false name when arrested no longer means that the person's criminal record won't be found,” she says.
Marius Coetzee, COO at Ideco, says incidents of fraud and manipulation of data are on the increase and continue to have a profound impact on commerce. He adds that the decision to amend the system officially used in the clearance check process had to be made and will lead to more accurate checks.
“We are pleased that there is appreciation for the role that fingerprint biometric technology continues to play in streamlining and improving security and credentials verification. The new system is widely considered to be more accurate, with no room for human error or abuse,” he points out.
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