Within the first ten days of the Ministry of Interior launching its biometric fingerprint project, more than 100,000 people are reported to have had their fingerprints imprinted.
Elaborating on the project, Director of the General Department of Criminal Evidence, Major General Eid Al-Owaihan, said the biometric fingerprint project was a dream of the Ministry of Interior, and it is now being achieved on the ground.
He noted that the project will contribute to setting up a database for everyone who lives in Kuwait and is 18 years old and above; whether citizens or residents. While the previous decimal fingerprint system was limited in its scope and accuracy, the new biometric fingerprint will allow the authorities to detail all the information about an individual and help verify the identity of a person.
In addition to those visiting the specially designated centers, biometric fingerprints are also taken of everyone entering the country through its borders. The authorities expect the pace of fingerprinting to increase in the coming period, as more centers are opened for this purpose, and to complete the entire project within a year.
Al-Owaihan said that besides the four centers currently dedicated to taking fingerprints, more centers will be opened so as to provide the opportunity for the largest possible number of people to take fingerprints.
He disclosed that it was possible to make an online appointment for taking fingerprints through the government’s ‘Meta’ program or the website of the Ministry of Interior. He added that the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled and the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Lieutenant General Anwar Al-Barjas, had directed that all capabilities should be harnessed to overcome obstacles and complete the project on time.
