RAMALLAH, September 20, 2010- EUPOL COPPS’ Criminal Investigation Department (CID) experts assisted the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) in the realization of an assessment for PCP officers to properly operate the Automated Finger Print Identification System (AFIS), a project that had previously been started on a bilateral basis by Germany.

72 PCP officers participated in the assessment process that took place on September 14, 15 and 19 at the premises of the Judicial Police in Al Bireh and the training facilities of the Guarding and Protecting Units in At Tireh (Ramallah).

This assessment process consisted of a series of examinations that included a written test combining 6 practical tasks together with a personal interview of each applicant with the assessment board. This board consisted of 3 PCP officials, assisted by a CID expert from EUPOL COPPS.

The AFIS system was firstly introduced to the PCP by a project implemented by the German Federal Office for Criminal Investigation (BKA) and coordinated through EUPOL COPPS in 2009. The project included the acquisition of the AFIS system plus a training programme on the common dactyloscopic identification procedures to operate the system and to conduct person and latent identifications.

The proper use of the AFIS system is to be done by experts that should accurately fulfill mental and physical conditions. In this context, EUPOL COPPS’ CID experts, Rabiaa Al Garani and Peter Eglauer assisted the PCP in the organization and elaboration of this assessment process. The in total 2 to 3 year lasting training to become an AFIS expert is planned to be started beginning of 2011.