Do identical twins have identical fingerprints

asks Chopper
A. No, they don't. Fingerprints are unique to every person - no two individuals have the same fingerprints, palm prints or footprints. These areas of the body are covered in tiny ridges which feature little forks and endings - known as characteristics.

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Q. Do fingerprints change as you age
A. No, they develop in the womb and stay with you for your whole life.

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Q. Are fingerprints still the best means of identification
A. Yes. Fingerprint identification is accepted in court in its own right because it cannot be fabricated. Supermarkets will soon start testing systems which could mean us using them at the checkout instead of credit cards.

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Q. When was fingerprinting introduced
A. It was pioneered in the UK at the turn of the century by Sir Edward Henry, Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard in charge of CID. He got interested in the idea while he was Inspector General of the Bengal Police. The Metropolitan Police Service Fingerprint Bureau opened in July 1901.

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Q. Who was the first person to be convicted using fingerprints
A. It was 41-year-old labourer Harry Jackson, who was jailed in 1902 for stealing billiard balls. After hearing about this case, the Chief Medical Examiner for the Civil Service Commission in New York travelled to London to learn about fingerprint identification. He then set up the first fingerprint bureau in the US.

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Q. Is it always powder that's used to check for fingerprints
A. Not always. Scene-of-crime officers also use chemical treatments, or sometimes laser technology that makes them glow infrared. The fingerprints are 'lifted' using a special adhesive tape and stuck on to clear plastic, or photographed.

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Q. How are they identified
A. They will be sent to the local fingerprint bureau to be checked against the fingerprints on file.

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Q. Are all the fingerprints on file from criminals
A. Not necessarily. Fingerprints are taken automatically when a person is charged - to check they are who they say they are and to check whether they are wanted for other crimes.

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Q. Are they always taken by dipping fingers in ink
A. Mostly, but a few police forces can now scan people's hands straight into a computer.

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Q. Are fingerprint matches made by computer
A. Computers are used to come up with possible matches, but a human always makes the final comparison. It takes five years to train a fingerprint officer, and it is a highly specialised job.

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by Sheena Miller

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