Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: TH
Context: The Indian government is set to implement the “DNA and Face Matching” systems at 1,300 police stations across the country under the Criminal Procedure Identification Act 2022 (CrPI) (the Act replaced the 100-year-old Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, expanding the scope to capture additional data)
More Information:
| Facial Recognition System in Policing | Facial recognition systems identify and measure facial features to verify individuals from images or video frames. |
| Examples: Various police departments in India, such as TSCOP and CCTNS (Telangana), PAIS (Punjab), Trinetra (UP), Police Artificial Intelligence System (Uttarakhand), and AFRS (Delhi), have implemented facial recognition technology systems. | |
| About Criminal Procedure Identification Act | The Criminal Procedure Identification Act (CrPI) was passed in 2022, granting police and Central investigating agencies the authority to collect, store, and analyze physical and biological samples, including retina and iris scans of arrested individuals. |
| Integration with National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) | NAFIS, managed by the NCRB, is integrated into the CrPI Act’s implementation. NAFIS contains fingerprint data for over 1 crore people, including accused and convicts, and is accessible at approximately 1,300 police stations nationwide. |
| Nodal Agency | The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is assigned with finalising the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) |
| Benefits | It will boost law enforcement efficiency by quickening criminal investigations, reducing crime, and maintaining order. It will ease daily tasks, employ Big Data for crime trends, provide real-time access via smartphone apps, and enhance public-police interaction, offering digital services like online grievance submissions for citizens’ convenience (e.g., Punjab Police’s SAANJH) |
| Challenges | Data security gaps may lead to misuse.; Uneven tech access due to rural-urban disparities; Insufficient police reform integration; Budget limitations hinder new tech adoption; and Limited tools for interagency collaboration |
About NCRB
The National Crime Records Bureau (founded 1986; HQ: Delhi) is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing, crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code and Special and Local Laws. It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
