Crime fighters to share data

To aid in the national anticrime campaign, the different government law-enforcement agencies will be sharing their data with one another.

The exchange of information between law enforcement agencies such as the police and customs and immigration bureaus was recently finalized in an agreement on national justice information.

Chief Supt. Augusto Marquez, deputy chief of the Philippine National Police Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, said the agreement was part of an initial step for a more systematic coordination among all law-enforcement agencies.

“We had a signing of the agreement with different agencies. The essence is that law-enforcement agencies will be sharing data. The agencies include the Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Customs, PNP and National Bureau of Investigation,” the police official said.

The sharing of data will include a national police clearance system which will involve all databases on fingerprints, ballistics, e-warrants, e-rogues gallery and e-blotter.

The PNP at present uses the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and Integrated Ballistic Information System, both computerized systems used to identifying fingerprints and bullets. The PNP plans to fill the AFIS database with five million sets of fingerprints.

The e-warrant, e-rogues gallery and e-blotter are electronic files and records of criminals which the PNP is consolidating.

Marquez said the national police clearance system would enable the system to go online and allow citizens to secure a clearance anywhere.–Julie M. Aurelio