U.S. Ambassador Jay N. Anania and Korps Politie Suriname (KPS) Chief Humphrey Tjin Liep Shie officially inaugurated the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) at the Nieuw Haven Police Station on April 8. The system was funded by the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and is part of U.S. efforts to assist Suriname as it builds capacity to combat transnational crime.
The program included remarks from Police Chief Tjin Liep Shie and Ambassador Anania. In his remarks, Ambassador Anania, stated “The United States recognizes that transnational crime cannot be defeated by individual countries, but requires a joint effort. The technology this equipment uses is part of our work with Suriname to improve citizen safety and regional security by working together.”
The automated fingerprint identification system will assist police authorities in solving and preventing crime, and catching criminals. This is the first time that such technology has been made available in Suriname.
In addition, AFIS tightens border security against known criminals and terrorists by providing law enforcement with the capacity to collect and share digital fingerprint data. This powerful resource is already yielding results for Suriname. Police are unlocking cold cases by using the system to identify criminals using the fingerprints they leave behind at crime scenes.
The U.S. investment in the digitization of Suriname’s and other CARICOM nations’ paper fingerprint cards is raising Caribbean nations to the international law enforcement standard and making it easier for regional police forces to coordinate their investigations and bring criminals to justice.
The United States is providing AFIS to thirteen Caribbean nations, including Suriname, at a cost of US$250,000 per country.
This project is only one of several citizen security projects carried out under the Caribbean Basic Security Initiative (CBSI). Through CBSI, the United States works with the nations of the Caribbean to enhance law enforcement capacity to combat transnational crimes that threaten regional security.
