BB FANS

Police to fingerprint on streets


BBC

Fingerprint Scanner Trial skynews

They were testing thisd out in my town today apparantly.
As I walk to school didn't affect me.
I can see this could be a good thing in some ways but isn't it just an easy way for the police to get your fingerprints?
Not sure I would be happy if I was asked.

The day is near when you wont be asked, cc, you will be told that is the law and you have no choice but to let them take your fingerprints.

What is a concern to me is where is the outrage at another erosion of our civil liberties?

THE LONG FINGER OF THE LAW
Big Brother fear on driver tests


POLICE yesterday rejected accusations that new roadside fingerprint checks were a step towards a Big Brother state.

Ten forces will test a handheld gadget that reads fingerprints and checks them against a database of criminals.

Police say the test, already in use in Luton, is voluntary and prints will not be kept on file.

However, Mark Wallace, spokesman for The Freedom Association, warned: "Both of these things are only happening because the laws haven't been passed yet." He added: "No longer are we innocent until proven guilty. There's concern individuals are automatically treated with suspicion."

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis agreed: "This must not become a stealth gateway to storing fingerprints of innocent people on a government database."

But Police Minister Tony McNulty insisted: "This is about identification - not storing fingerprints." Mirror

Irish government waves in digital fingerprinting

theregister

23 November 2006
Police will now be able to take people's finger prints when they have been stopped for speeding or other minor offences.


"Good Lord, Marjorie. Is this true? Your prints match with those found at the Brinks Mat bullion heist 20 years ago."



From Mac

I can see there are benefits, such saving time, but only if they do not store prints of anyone who is totally innocent. Just because a fingerprint is picked up at a crime scene doesn't automatically mean that person committed the crime!

It is a an incredibly worrying state of affairs, as the police will press for a national database of everyone's finger prints, retina scans, etc, citing 'fight against terrorism, blah blah blah' as the reason. I think we are already monitored enough, and already live in a 'Big Brother' state. There are cameras everywhere, the police can already use financial and mobile and satnav and GPS data to track your movements. But do we live in a safer place...? And what are they really doing with all this information?

To think we used to be shocked at the antics of Eastern Bloc countries! Welcome to Blair's Britain in the 21st century. No difference.

Every person should have a right to some privacy. Yes, there are dangerous elements out there, but that's life. It's full of risks. But target the crims - not innocent law-abiding citizens.