MoI allays fears of citizens, residents

KUWAIT CITY, May 20: Security sources dispelled the concerns that many citizens and residents are having regarding the application of the biometric system at the border crossings and at the airport. They explained that the process aims to build a database at the Ministry of Interior, reports Al-Rai daily. They revealed that the ministry has installed 49 devices at the land, sea and air ports, in addition to two centers in Umm Al-Hayman and Jahra.

The sources explained that this step does not cause any obstacle for citizens or residents in terms of traveling or renewing residency. Requesting for fingerprint does not prevent travelers from leaving or entering the country. The ministry is currently creating a security database for those coming into the country, irrespective of whether they are citizens, residents or Gulf nationals, and even visitors. The next step will include residents of the country by taking their ten fingerprints and linking it to the process of the renewal of their residency.

The sources said, “The application of the biometric feature system recorded accuracy, efficiency, high capacity, and great speed in showing results, and in collecting data for all people who underwent fingerprinting, as the country’s land, air, and sea ports witnessed severe crowding among those coming to take an eye, face and the finger prints.

The Department of Land and Air Ports has registered the largest number of travelers coming into the country, including citizens, residents and visitors, by taking their fingerprint, which in normal cases takes not more than three minutes. Whoever faces the problem of the fingerprint not being recognized either due to an injury or other reason, it is recorded in the system, and then the eye and the face is scanned, which takes about five minutes. However, in the event that the port witnesses a large congestion of travelers, only Kuwaitis will be allowed to enter.

They will be informed of the need to go to one of the two centers in the areas of Umm Al-Haiman and Jahra to take the fingerprint. These centers will work 24 hours a day to support the border crossings and reduce congestion, especially with the large travel movement expected during the summer period. The fingerprint system is applied to anyone who is 21 years old and above, that is, those born in 2002 or before. The fingerprint system does not apply to those under this age. The sensory fingerprint device sends complete data to the Criminal Evidence Department, to set up a special database so that the data becomes linked to the Gulf security system.

There are agreements within the GCC countries to exchange data of people who are wanted in security cases, or if the person is wanted in one Gulf country and is in another Gulf country, or someone with dual citizenship such as having two passports for two different countries. The aim is to detect counterfeiters, nab those wanted by security, and record the security data of the person subject to the fingerprint.

The Criminal Evidence Department, in coordination with the General Department of Information Systems, has installed 49 devices for scanning purposes in the land ports. Seven among them are in Salmi port, 8 in Nuwaiseeb, 4 in Abdali, two in the sea port, and 14 devices in the airport terminals 1,4 and 5, in addition to Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Airport and the Protocol Hall. Also, 14 devices have been set up in the Umm Al-Hayman and Jahra centers, which will operate 24 hours a day to receive citizens.”

The sources revealed that the workers in charge of the fingerprint devices have undergone a training course for the project, so that they can work on the devices with accuracy, professionalism and speed to avoid any delay for the travelers. It is worth highlighting that the Ministry of Interior had completed a project to develop and establish an integrated central biometric system for the State of Kuwait, which includes fingerprints, palm, face, iris and electronic signature for all individuals.

The project was supervised by the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled. He followed up the implementation of the final stages of the project, and was briefed on the components of the second phase represented in the project of updating the systems and infrastructure of the ports.

This project includes a comprehensive modernization of the implementation of entry and exit procedures for travelers and vehicles. It also includes the establishment of data centers for the security of the ports and the provision of automated devices to facilitate procedures by a mechanism for reading travel documents, verifying their authenticity and checking their security features, controlling cases of forgery, and matching them with the traveler’s vital features by checking fingerprints, face and iris of the eye, and checking local and international black lists before documenting travel. The project also includes conducting security checks on vehicles at the land ports to verify that they are not included in the lists of stolen and wanted vehicles locally and internationally, before documenting the movement of the vehic