Fingerprint technology 'may unlock old cases'

Detectives are revisiting hundreds of unresolved crime cases with the help of a new high-tech fingerprint system, it was revealed today.

More than 350 fingerprints from crime scenes have been matched with suspects already since the introduction of the state-of-the-art technology last month.

New Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the force’s Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is speeding up ongoing investigations.

“I have been briefed by the [Garda] Technical Bureau, that hits – that is matches between the prints taken and the prints on the system – has increased by up to 50%,” he said.

The AFIS captures and stores palm prints as well as the traditional 10 fingerprints making it easier for forensic experts to match smaller marks taken from crime scenes.

The technology has been operating at Garda headquarters in Phoenix Park since October 22 when it replaced the force’s previous 10-year-old system, which stored 280,000 fingerprints.

It has cost the taxpayer €7m so far but the figure will rise with a further roll-out next year, when it is linked up to the Garda’s main Pulse system and fed into international police networks through Europol and Interpol.

Commissioner Murphy insists the public money will be well spent by producing increased detection rates for crime scene evidence.

“One of the features of this system will be the ability to have electronic equipment out in the different divisions and the speedy passing of that data to the central database for checking ,” he said.

“We want to identify people quicker rather than later. ”

The system will also store the fingerprints of every non-European Economic Area resident in the State for use by the immigration authorities including the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

It will be linked to Eurodac, a Europe-wide fingerprint system which stores and matches the fingerprints of every asylum seeker over 14 years, applying for entry into the EU.

The Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, claimed it will also allow for the faster exchange of information that will enhance State security.

“It is important that the State can exercise some degree of control in these areas,” he said.

“Of course many, many residents have come to Ireland, have worked here on work visas, have made a huge contribution to our economy.

“Unfortunately, however, in some cases there are back door methods used to obtain access to our country and it’s important that we can secure our own borders and secure our sovereign territory and ensure that there is complete enforcement in that regard.”