Sharjah police stations to use eye scanners

Sharjah: Newly installed eye-scanning technology at police stations in Sharjah will help ensure people in custody are properly identified as an added security measure, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Using what is called an iris scan, police can compare live eye scans taken in police custody with a wealth of computer networks that store iris files to detect criminals using fake identification documents.

Iris scan technology is already used in airports around the world at customs gates to accurately identify unwanted persons from gaining entry into countries which use the scanners.

Colonel Dr Khalifa Kalendar, Deputy Director of Police Centres in Sharjah, said passports can be forged but biometric scans can’t.

The move will help ensure that criminals who are arrested and deported do not return with forged passports and will also help to document people who are arrested without identification documents.

Before the implementation of the iris scan, a foreigner expelled from the UAE could go back to his native country, change his name, get a new passport and return.

“The iris-scan system currently used at various ports of the country has achieved amazing results and proved highly efficient in arresting deported people of different nationalities who attempted to enter UAE after forging their passports and obtaining new visit or work visas”, he said.

The way it works, he said, is via special a camera which photographs the iris of the eye. The data is saved in the form of mathematical codes. When necessary, officials can cross check the recorded iris scans to identify suspects in a matter of a few seconds.

Sharjah Police, he said, will work on the system in cooperation with the Directorate General of Foreign Affairs Department in Sharjah.

Col. Kalendar pointed out that the research and studies on iris scan technology showed its is the most accurate means of identifying persons as compared to traditional methods.

The iris varies even between identical twins, he said — no two people in the world have the same pattern.