New Zealand police say NEC AFIS contract expiring soon

New Zealand’s police are warning that the contract for its fingerprinting system, supplied by biometric firm NEC, will expire soon and must be renewed by July to avoid compromising public safety. The law enforcement authority also said the timeline is short to replace the existing hardware and software.

Police have been signaling that failure to invest in a new system could lead to severe consequences since last year. In September, the government’s chief information security officer relayed their concerns to the ministers as part of its Treasury report.

The police have been working on a preliminary business case to buy a new system. Last year, the agency published a large tender seeking an automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS), 50 fixed and 130 portable biometric recording devices, data storage and other infrastructure. The tender was closed in May 2024.

Late last year, the country’s Treasury put the project on a shortlist for the Cabinet’s approval. However, it also required the police to develop a “comprehensive risk communication plan,” a risk strategy and consult the Privacy Commissioner.

Although the police have completed consultations, the risk plan is yet to be delivered, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reports.

Over the past years, the New Zealand police have been under increased public scrutiny over data privacy. In 2021, the country’s privacy and policing watchdogs ordered law enforcement agencies to delete tens of thousands of unlawfully collected photos of children and young people as well as unlawfully collected fingerprint data.

In July 2024, the police announced it had still not completed the task. The efforts to delete the images were delayed as the photographs spread out throughout different systems and work phones, they said.

The police have been trying to reassure the Privacy Commissioner of their commitment to data privacy, announcing a new way of sharing information such as photos and prints based on Microsoft 365. The police also published a policy on using facial recognition in investigations.

Meanwhile, Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster has been working on a new Biometrics Code. Feedback on the draft is open through March 2025 while the document is expected to come into force later in the year.

Article Topics

AFIS  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  fingerprint recognition  |  government purchasing  |  NEC  |  NEC New Zealand  |  New Zealand  |  tender