Police Scotland may be failing to take fingerprints in more than 12,000 arrests a year, potentially missing chances to identify suspects or link them to unsolved crimes, a watchdog has warned.<\/p>\n
A new review by the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner found the service was only taking the fingerprints of those charged with a crime.<\/p>\n
This is at odds with forces in other parts of the UK and despite the law allowing Police Scotland to take the fingerprints of any adult it arrests.<\/p>\n
The report said the failure to collect fingerprints risked undermining criminal investigations by preventing police verifying suspects\u2019 identities in real time or linking them to unsolved crimes.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr Brian Plastow, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner, said fingerprinting was a \u201ccritical step in the criminal justice process\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cNot fingerprinting someone who has been arrested and brought into custody results in lost investigative opportunities, both now and in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means Police Scotland cannot use its Livescan fingerprint technology to verify the person\u2019s identity in real time, preventing misidentification and any attempts to defeat the ends of justice.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means the arrested person\u2019s prints cannot be searched against unidentified crime scenes \u2014 in the UK or internationally.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it can also result in criminal justice inefficiencies, including where the arrested person subsequently becomes an \u2018officially accused\u2019 but cannot then be traced to acquire criminal justice samples including fingerprints.\u201d<\/p>\n Police Scotland may not have fingerpinted 12,000 people (Image: Colin Mearns)<\/p>\n The review examined how fingerprints are taken, kept and used by Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority\u2019s forensic services.<\/p>\n It concluded Scotland\u2019s forensic fingerprint capability is “world-leading” but found a number of operational weaknesses.<\/p>\n During a three-month sample period, the review identified 3,202 cases where people who had been formally accused of crimes were arrested but not fingerprinted.<\/p>\n Extrapolated across a full year, the report said this suggested more than 12,000 arrests annually may not result in fingerprints being taken, including cases involving serious offences.<\/p>\n The review also raised concerns about the way fingerprint data was being handled in custody environments.<\/p>\n Investigators were told staff in Police Scotland\u2019s Criminal Justice Services Division had sometimes \u201cbulk-deleted\u201d fingerprints from Livescan terminals \u2014 the electronic fingerprint scanners used in custody suites \u2014 before forensic identification staff had examined them.<\/p>\n These were reportedly carried out to reboot machines that had stopped responding.<\/p>\n Dr Plastow said the practice was not authorised.<\/p>\n \u201cIf fingerprints are completely lost through unauthorised deletion, this may mean an investigation cannot progress, which could have a significant impact on a victim or on an accused person if the fingerprints could have cleared them.\u201d<\/p>\n The report makes 10 recommendations aimed at improving compliance with existing policies.<\/p>\n These include strengthening supervision in custody centres and restricting administrative deletion permissions to supervisory staff.<\/p>\n The report also highlighted wider strategic issues around the use of biometric technology in Scotland.<\/p>\n While the UK Government<\/a> has developed a national biometrics strategy and invested in projects such as live facial recognition and AI-supported identification tools, Scotland currently has no equivalent long-term strategy.<\/p>\n Read more<\/strong><\/p>\n Scottish Labour<\/a> justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: \u201cThis is a significant intervention and both Police Scotland and the SNP<\/a> should take it seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is crucial that biometric details are taken where they could help solve crime and keep communities safe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe SNP and Police Scotland must review how processes are working and ensure they are fit for purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: \u201cThe alarming findings in this report highlight how Police Scotland is at breaking point.<\/p>\n \u201cEnsuring fingerprints are taken from those who have been arrested is something Scots expect to routinely happen.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, years of SNP cuts means even these functions are being majorly affected.\u201d<\/p>\n Graham Simpson MSP for Central Scotland, Reform UK<\/a> Scotland, said: \u201cThousands of suspects arrested every year are slipping through the net because basic policing procedures are not being followed.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery missed fingerprint could mean a burglar, rapist or violent offender walking free.<\/p>\n \u201cFailing to collect fingerprints from arrested suspects puts public safety at risk.<\/p>\n