Biometric technology to be introduced to fight and stop transnational crimes

[Lite Beer]

Biometric technology to be introduced to fight and stop transnational crimes

BANGKOK: -- The Royal Thai Police will soon introduce the biometric technology at immigration checkpoints across the country to help officials screen criminals and people who could pose security risk to the country from entering the country easily.

This biometric technology identifies individuals based on their body characteristic including facial patterns and fingerprints.

The move came as the Immigration Police Bureau became the target of criticism in the past few months of its performance when some illegal immigrants claimed to have paid to gain entry and some travellers entered the country as tourists but with either fake passports or authentic passports of others but with different photos.

Lack of sophisticated equipment to double check passport and verification of passport owners, and understaffing were the excuses.

Human traffickers also used the loopholes in immigration system to smuggle illegal immigrants as well.

Several senior immigration officers were transferred when fake passports were seized from these travellers and a proposal to overhaul the bureau was raised.

One proposal raised to efficiently stop such entry was the use of this technology.

This advanced technology could cost over a billion baht and only two ASEAN countries at present apply it in their immigration system, according to Royal Thai Police assistant commissioner Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri.

He said biometric technology is a matching device as it records personal information of individuals and is able to alert users of any change of the individuals’ information within a short period of time.

Biometric technology can analyse 120 million images or fingerprints per second with accurate results.

It can also analyse other body characteristics such as eyes, blood vessel in fingers and DNA.

The technology is widely used in Europe and America.

Malaysia and Singapore are currently the two countries in the Southeast Asian region that implement the technology to help determine people at immigration checkpoints.

Biometric technology could play crucial role in Thailand’s border security and it would be the first defensive line to protect the country from transnational crimes, according to the assistant commissioner.

Meanwhile deputy police commissioner Pol Gen Wuthi Liptapanlop explained that there are eight types of passport book frauds.

Most frauds concern use of stolen passport by imposters. It is difficult to indentify an individual from a passport image alone, especially when the person look alike the picture.

But with the technology, this could be swiftly detected, he said.

Other frauds concern fake name and fake stamp, he said.

Next year, Thailand will enter the ASEAN Community and it is expected to encounter huge influx of goods and people from the nine other ASEAN member countries as well as transnational problems such as human trafficking, terrorism and cyber crime.

This biometric technology could help protect the country from these problems.

Statistically, around 45 million passport books are lost every year. Each year, some 1,800 faked passports were confiscated at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, he said.

The Royal Thai Police has proposed the government to purchase the biometric technology and install it at all 1,000 immigration checkpoints, provincial police offices, public security offices and forensic offices.

This advanced technology will cost over a billion baht.

Besides it needs staff training to work with the system.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/biometric-technology-to-be-introduced-to-fight-and-stop-transnational-crimes

-- Thai PBS 2015-09-26

[JoePai]

Lack of sophisticated equipment to double check passport and verification of passport owners, and understaffing were the excuses.

And the 3rd excuse they forgot to mention - corruption !

[Seastallion]

DNA? Really? I have my doubts.

[Seastallion]

It's about time. I would say a billion baht for this type of security is better value than a submarine. It would put an end to forged passports too, if every country used the technology.

[DavisH]

This will only work if it helps eliminate corruption in the system.

[DavisH]

It doesn't matter if the system can analyse 120 million finger prints. If there is no reference material to compare it to, it will be useless. It sound more like they will be collecting an storing this information for later reference. I wonder if they will also fingerprint Thais crossing borders? That could turn up some interesting results if they are compared with a fingerprint database based on criminal investigations here.

[robblok]

It's about time. I would say a billion baht for this type of security is better value than a submarine. It would put an end to forged passports too, if every country used the technology.

My fingerprints are in my passport stored somewhere. I had to let them get scanned recently when I had a new passport.

But in the end they can have the most advanced equipment here but as long as the coppers are bent it wont matter because corruption overrides it all. Just one more hoop to jump through for the normal and legal people while the criminals just bribe the immigration officials.

[Sam Jones]

This advanced technology will cost over a billion baht. - Mercedes dealer and Mia noi´s will be happy ....

Besides it needs staff training to work with the system. - Time to hire some foreigners I guess

[terryp]

They are obviously shipting themselves that something is going to happen

Registration of SIM , talk of internet Hub that will require registration no doubt, free wifi everywhere as long as you provide your passport number, AOT passport security check on International Passengers starting Nov and Now Finger prints required on all borders.

Have these muppets every thought the huge problem the have IS ALREADY HERE they are THAI, it is simply laughable.

The bloodbath taking place in the SOUTH OF THAILAND for the past close on 20 years show how wonderful the crime fighters and military are in this Country of "we must register everyone to protect ourselves" LOL ...no you are panicking at whats going to happen when the big event takes place and it wont be the wicked falang.

[Nicolas32]

The system cost about £4.9 million / 269,018,600.16 THB to develop and then about £4 million / 21,960,702.05 THB to operate isn't cheap and they have a lot of check points ..

Edited September 26, 2015 by Nicolas32

[worgeordie]

The equipment will be high tech ,but what about the operators ?

regards Worgeordie

[DLock]

You watch one episode of CSI and you think you know how to solve transnational crimes...

[Nicolas32]

You watch one episode of CSI and you think you know how to solve transnational crimes...

True and its like this help officials screen criminals 90% of criminals are the officials taking backhanders ... anyway this will all die down in a few weeks .. right now it is about face when they international media coverage looking at them about the bomb blast and khao tao murder case..

[maoro2013]

Big brother getting bigger

[thai006]

good idea , Thailand is not a home country for criminal

NCPO Very good

[Travelman868]

Lack of sophisticated equipment to double check passport and verification of passport owners, and understaffing were the excuses.

And the 3rd excuse they forgot to mention - corruption !

Poor Cambodia has had fingerprint equipment for years and on the same border it cost tourists tea money to get a stamp for there visa. I wonder where that money goes

[freedom4life]

Convenient excuses all the time....more control and tagging over the population..that's the end goal.

[freedom4life]

Enter the ASEAN community? Who voted in this nonsense? Bastards want more control over the Asian-region...Thailand is so easily duped into thinking that it is beneficial...stop transnational crimes?..you lying-tyrants!..those that want to implement this are the biggest criminals.

[waldroj]

Will the biometric technology be applied to all the labourers, porters, and push-cart operators who flutter back and forth between Thailand and its neighbours each day, or will they just need a nod and a wave?

[DavisH]

good idea , Thailand is not a home country for criminal

NCPO Very good

Do you really want International standard law enforcement in Thailand? Be careful what you wish for. How about a 10,000 baht fine for being 5 km over the speed limit? Would you like that? Or an 80000 baht fine and loss of licence and banned for driving for being 45km/h over the limit? Starting to hurt now? Or you only dislike foreign criminals, but Thai criminals are just fine? Because the are Thai, afterall...

[Jiggo]

Catching up with the rest of the world then...including Cambodia

[DavisH]

Enter the ASEAN community? Who voted in this nonsense? Bastards want more control over the Asian-region...Thailand is so easily duped into thinking that it is beneficial...stop transnational crimes?..you lying-tyrants!..those that want to implement this are the biggest criminals.

Voted?

[elgordo38]

This will only work if it helps eliminate corruption in the system.

Staff training I think will be the big stumbling block especially the training to test your DNA which I think is a bit of a exaggeration.

[louse1953]

It's about time. I would say a billion baht for this type of security is better value than a submarine. It would put an end to forged passports too, if every country used the technology.

My fingerprints are in my passport stored somewhere. I had to let them get scanned recently when I had a new passport.

But in the end they can have the most advanced equipment here but as long as the coppers are bent it wont matter because corruption overrides it all. Just one more hoop to jump through for the normal and legal people while the criminals just bribe the immigration officials.

Plenty of border to cross without actually going through immigration.Then you just flash your passport around if actually asked.Few more in the skyrocket and they never trace where you are.

[inutil]

" LOL ...no you are panicking at whats going to happen when the big event takes place

We dont think about the event!

Edited September 26, 2015 by inutil

[thai006]

good idea , Thailand is not a home country for criminal

NCPO Very good

Do you really want International standard law enforcement in Thailand? Be careful what you wish for. How about a 10,000 baht fine for being 5 km over the speed limit? Would you like that? Or an 80000 baht fine and loss of licence and banned for driving for being 45km/h over the limit? Starting to hurt now? Or you only dislike foreign criminals, but Thai criminals are just fine? Because the are Thai, afterall...

why not ; the people just understand the big fine , you think you got 500b fine you will thinking ? no

10 000b you will say ; maybe i should not drive so fast next time and save life , who know

[Heng]

While we're at it, please bring about fingerprint scanners to basic banking. The whole 'compare my signature' game is kind of dated.

:-)

[Friendly Stranger]

Fight and stop transnational crimes? Good in theory, but all the tech in the world will not stop "C" word. Clean the ppl at these boarders first.

[soalbundy]

It's about time. I would say a billion baht for this type of security is better value than a submarine. It would put an end to forged passports too, if every country used the technology.

nothing here that a few thousand Baht can't solve

[Mot Dang]

Good idea, but it will slow things down in Immigration's Passport Control. Constable Plod may find the learning curve a bit steep with new technology. A bit different than just rubber stamping.

Computer data uploads and downloads are going to have to be fast across the country to where ever the mainframe will be, so that comparisons against databases can be done. I can just see us waiting .... waiting ..... waiting, for a confirmation.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Mot Dang