KUWAIT: The interior ministry's criminal evidence department announced it has uploaded the digital fingerprints of around two million expatriates older than 18 into its systems in a bid to have a full database of fingerprints of all expats in the country, including those yet to enter Kuwait. Informed sources said building such a database of all expats in the country, including those in prison, is part of the ministry's projects designed to update its database and stay abreast with security-related scientific and technological advances.

"The digital fingerprints will help identify expats wanted in Kuwait, those banned from travelling and those banned from entering Kuwait," the sources explained, noting that the new system will also prevent deported expats from returning to Kuwait with new passports as well as help investigators identify criminals.

The sources noted that the process has helped identify people who obtained residency visas without being fingerprinted after the liberation of Kuwait, identify deportees applying to renew their residency visas - and thus their applications were rejected, in addition to identifying expats who turned 18 and whose fingerprints had been found at some crime scenes, and thus they were arrested.

By A Saleh