ICPO-Interpol - General Assembly 66th Session - New Delhi - 15th-21st October 1997

RECOGNIZING the increasing need for Interpol member countries to exchange information on fingerprints for crime investigation purposes,

AWARE of the fact that more and more fingerprint departments in member countries are installing Automatic Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS),

NOTING the need to define Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) standards for handling fingerprint images,

RECALLING the decision taken by the 24th European Regional Conference (1995) to set up an Expert Working Party on Computerized Fingerprint Image Handling to explore the feasibility of defining Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) standards for handling fingerprint images,

MINDFUL of the recommendations made by the 26th European Regional Conference (Pieštany, Slovakia, 1997) with respect to the Final Report of the Expert Working Party on Computerized Fingerprint Image Handling,

HAVING studied Report, No. 11 entitled "Interpol standard for exchanging computerized fingerprint images by countries using AFIS equipment", submitted by the General Secretariat,

HAVING TAKEN NOTE of the recommendations made by the Expert Working Party on Computerized Fingerprint Image Handling, and in particular the contents of Appendix 2 of the Final Report entitled "ANSI/NIST-CSL 1-1993 Standard: Data Format for the interchange of fingerprint image information - Interpol implementation",

CONVINCED of the importance of using a worldwide Interpol standard to transmit computerized fingerprint images from one AFIS installation to another, in order to promote international co-operation,

The ICPO-Interpol General Assembly, meeting in New Delhi from 15th to 21st October 1997 at its 66th session,

RECOMMENDS that:

• The ICPO-Interpol standard for exchanging computerized fingerprint images between countries using AFIS/AFR equipment should be based on the ANSI/NIST CSL 1-1993 standard and any future development of that standard;
  
  
• Any future call for tenders for AFIS/AFR equipment or fingerprint transmission systems should mention that an Interpol Standard exists and that the AFIS/AFR to be provided should meet that standard;
  
  
• All future AFIS/AFR equipment should handle images with 500 dots per inch and with a grey scale of 256;
  
  
• The documents for the transmission of fingerprints and latent prints should be the two forms already endorsed by the Interpol General Assembly at its 64th session;
  
  
• The Interpol X.400 communication system should be used as the means of transmission between member countries.