Kuwait installs more biometric scanners at malls as 750K persons now enrolled

Kuwaiti authorities say they have installed more fingerprint capture machines in commercial malls for the collection of fingerprints of citizens and expatriates as the country progresses with its plan to establish a biometric database to fight criminality and facilitate access to public services.

Arab Times reports that the Ministry of Interior, which is fronting the project, has installed biometric enrollment machines in commercial venues such as the Avenues Mall, where more than 500 people were enrolled in two days.

More devices were expected to have been installed in two other commercial malls as of July 17, the outlet notes. It quotes security sources as saying with more devices, users do no longer necessarily need to book appointments before submitting their biometrics. They just have to show up at any of the venues where the machines are installed, take a waiting number and then complete the process in maximum five minutes when it’s their turn.

In order to fast-track the process and ensure easy accessibility, officials say each of the commercial malls will have two fingerprint capture devices, as efforts are being made to deploy the devices at governorates and at all of the country’s borders.

The government has also restated the fact that these and other measures are part of measures by the Ministry of Interior, through the General Department of Criminal Evidence, to streamline how the fingerprints are captured, and to ensure the safety and privacy of all biometric data collected.

While giving updates on the number of people so far enrolled since the exercise started a little over 75 days ago, the Ministry of Interior says that around 750,000 people have registered their fingerprints as of July 16, according to another Arab Times report.

According to the communication attributed to the Public Relations and Security Media Department, Kuwaitis and other residents can book appointments for enrollment via the ‘Sahel’ app or ‘Meta Platform’, while citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council countries can do so through the Interior Ministry’s website.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  fingerprint scanners  |  government services  |  Kuwait