High-tech fingerprint scanner to help solve crimes in Dubai

Device will allow officers to lift prints and scan them to a central database

The new device to lift and identify fingerprints. Photo: Dubai Police

Dubai Police have developed a device to scan fingerprints at crime scenes and transfer them directly to a database to look for matches immediately.

The crime-fighting tool is equipped with a 10k lens to hone in on prints, and white and ultraviolet beams to boost accuracy.

The cutting-edge device works better in extreme heat than the traditional gelatine-based method for collecting fingerprints.

The advanced technology, which has been perfected by the General Department of Forensics and Criminology since 2018, aims to help officers to identify suspects and track them down more quickly.

“In the force’s pursuit to apply latest technologies in policing work, the device’s smart software was developed to keep pace with future challenges,” said Brigadier Ahmad Al Muhairi, deputy director of the Department.

“It also performs well in extreme temperatures, unlike the traditional method."

A senior officer said the new fingerprint device will help to bring criminals in the emirate to justice.

“It will help solve crimes, provide solid evidence that supports investigations, and provide judicial authorities with reliable physical evidence that serves justice,” said Major General Dr Ahmad Eid Al Mansouri, Director of the General Department of Forensics and Criminology.

Using fingerprints to identify criminals has been integral to police investigations across the globe since the 19th century.

Police forces have adapted to new technologies over the decades in an attempt to stay a step ahead of offenders.

Dubai embraces technology to combat crime

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  The National's Salam Al Amir tries a brain fingerprinting device used to catch criminals at General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Dubai police is using technology to examine a suspect's brain activity and test whether or not they have any memory of a specific crime scene. Chris Whiteoak / The National.

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  One of the latest crime-fighting tools used around the world is being referred to as 'brain fingerprinting'. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Fear, stress and anxiety do not come into play in what is known as 'brainwave science'. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  The technique involves attaching electrodes to a suspect's head and showing them images, including an image of the relevant crime scene. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  First introduced by scientist Lawrence Farwell in the 90s, it was in 1999 that the technology was used to help solve a 15-year-old murder case. Chris Whiteoak / The National

This year, The National got an inside look at innovative brain fingerprinting methods being trialled by Dubai Police.

They examine brain activity to test whether a suspect remembers a crime scene.

Introduced by scientist Lawrence Farwell in the 1990s, brain fingerprinting technology was used in 1999 to help solve a 15-year-old murder case in the US.

The technique has also been used by police in India and Singapore, and now in the UAE.

The process involves attaching electrodes to a suspect's head and showing them pictures, including an image of the crime scene.

Nothing is done without the suspect's consent

A small but noticeable change in brain activity will occur if the suspect is presented with an image they have seen before.