MUSCAT: The Biometric Fingerprint Law represents a reference and resource for information and data related to those with criminal records, detecting the perpetrators of crimes, speeding up their arrest, and bringing them to justice.
It also reflects positively on the speed of evidence-gathering and investigation work. The biometric fingerprint helps in the early detection of mental disabilities, including, for example, Down syndrome, and contributes to solving them.
Thus enhancing the rights of persons with disabilities, the biometric fingerprint law will provide new means and procedures for judicial officers, investigation officers, and judicial bodies to achieve true justice in criminal matters.
The biometric fingerprint is defined as distinctive, measurable characteristics that determine a person’s identity from the rest of the population. The genetic fingerprint is also known as the biological features or genotype of the highly variable non-coding sites in the chromosomal DNA resulting from DNA analysis. It is fixed and unique to each person and is not repeated except in cases of identical twins.
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) has emphasised that the importance of the biometric fingerprint law lies in facilitating the identification of the perpetrators of crimes and achieving speedy arrest, as well as identifying the victims.
It represents authoritative proof of evidence before the judicial authorities, in addition to creating an important reference and resource regarding information and data related to those with criminal records and exposing the perpetrators. Crimes and the speed with which they are seized and brought to justice. It also reflects positively on the speed of evidence-gathering and investigation work.
The law is consistent with the objectives and powers of the ROP stipulated in Article 11 of the Police Law to maintain order and public security, protect lives, property, and honour, prevent the occurrence of crimes, and control those that do occur.
It keeps pace with scientific development in the field of various fingerprints (face, eye print, decimal fingerprint, genetic fingerprint), and the body that collects the biometric fingerprint and other fingerprints is the ROP, and all its data and systems are confidential and protected by law. This draft law implies penal protection when the confidentiality of biometric fingerprint database data is violated.
The executive regulations of this law will regulate the mechanisms for collecting biometric fingerprints, controls for preserving data, and collecting, preserving, and destroying samples.
Regarding the impact of the law on existing legislation, the ROP explained that the Biometric Fingerprints Law integrates with Article (11) of the Police Law issued by Royal Decree No (90/35), under which Oman Police is authorised to maintain order, public security, and morals, protect lives, honor and property, and prevent.
Committing crimes and arresting any of them that occur, and taking the necessary investigative and evidentiary measures. It is also consistent with the provisions of the Criminal Procedures Law issued by Royal Decree No (99/97) about gathering evidence, flagrante delicto, and preliminary investigation, which entrusted judicial officers with searching for crimes and their perpetrators and collecting and making inferences, controlling what is related to the crime, preserving its evidence, and seeking the assistance of doctors and other experienced people.
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