12 Jun Kuwait opens more fingerprint capture centers as database plans progress
More than 100,000 individuals in Kuwait have had their fingerprints scanned, in the beginning, stages of the development of a new biometric register which can identify every citizen and resident in the country.
These 100,000 individuals have been registered in just ten days.
This is done through the process of capture centres. Recently, the Director of the General Department of Criminal Evidence, Major General Eid AL-Owaihan, opened three more capture centres, adding to the two opened when the registration exercise was launched late last month.
The purpose of the register is to add to national security, allowing for better identification of criminals at a crime scene and additional transport security around the nation.
Through the system, select individuals in authority will be able to quickly access clear and detailed information about individuals residing or entering the territorial boundaries of Kuwait.
Al-Owaihan is quoted as saying that this new system is wider in scope and accuracy than previous iterations. The new system has an online platform through which appointment requests for biometric capture can be made. The fingerprint capture is required to take place for anyone 18 years or older.