The need to improve identification procedures at airports, increasing passenger loads, and outdated fingerprint-taking technologies have all contributed to bring biometrics into the picture for Australian Customs and the Federal Police.

At the Biometrics Institute Conference & Exhibition in Sydney this week the industry gathered to hear about applications of biometrics to better police our borders and streets.

Australian Customs Service announced the potential of a biometric in Australian passports by 2003 and talked in depth about a current Sydney Airport trial of face recognition technology, but as expected, we're not the only country investigating the biometric mixing pot. There are numerous trials being conducted in the US; Holland's Schiphol Airport aims to introduce passports incorporating a biometric in 2003; the UK's Heathrow Airport is trialing iris recognition technology; and Canada will use iris scanning for pre-checked passengers commencing October 2002 -- and it's all part of the bigger picture of better protecting our borders post September 11.

As well as a ramification of the terrorist attacks on the US, Australian Customs has put its biometric push down to a projection that passenger loads in Australia will double in 10 years. To cope with the load, airport capacity would have to double in five years and quadruple in 10-years time. To exacerbate the problem, aircraft size is increasing and airport infrastructure is already pretty much at its maximum capacity, Fiona Fraser, director, traveller strategies, Australian Customs Service, told conference delegates.

-We can't afford to expand space so we have to look at ways...to increase efficiency of processing people," Fraser said.

Facial recognition
The Sydney Airport trial is using two biometric applications; one-to-one verification of identity by the automation of face-to-passport checks; and one-to-many verification that will be used to identify wanted faces within crowds.

-Prior to September 11 our interest was solely one-to-one application," Fraser said. One-to-many verification, she said: -was not an option we considered at all really". However, following the terrorist attacks on the US, Australian Customs is looking at any technology that -will assist us to identify terrorists at the border" and to identify what appear to be a growing number of people that are travelling on false passports.

The aim of the Sydney Airport trial is to look at facial recognition technologies in an operational environment to see if it's cost effective and efficient. -We're not evaluating any particular product, not comparing one product against another, we are looking to see if this technology works blending into our existing operations within the airport," said Gail Batman, national director, passengers and IT, Australian Customs Service.

Of facial recognition applications, Batman said: -We think it's not intrusive, it's something that people are already used to. People understand that when they travel they have to have a passport or a visa and that a photograph is a part of that document and that they expect it to be checked when they cross the border. We thought that facial recognition fitted into that very well."

-We also think that cameras are accepted as part of the airport environment. People expect that there's closed-circuit television coverage and people by and large go about the airport without worrying too much about the cameras that are around."

According to Batman, if the decision is made to move to an automated processing system post-trial: - it's going to be voluntary, it's going to be overt, and it's going to be a very simple live photo to passport-photo comparison".

Pointing the finger
Detective Inspector Ian Waterson, coordinator fingerprint operations, NSW Police said there are now 2.5 million sets of fingerprints on the current nationwide fingerprint database, the NAFIS II.

The gradual move by police stations countrywide to Livescan, an electronic workstation that uses digital imaging and laser technology to capture fingerprint and palm print data, will eventually see the integration of Livescan data with other digital police information systems.

According to Waterson, 36 Livescan units have been installed across the country to date but only four of them in NSW have been directly linked to other police databases. The national integration of all systems would enable the true identity of arrested persons to be established more quickly, and allow officers to check for criminal records and outstanding warrants in other states.

-We have people arrested and taken to police stations where Livescan units aren't in place and they're complaining about having to use our ink and roller methods," Waterson joked.

Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All Rights Reserved.
ZDNET is a registered service mark of CBS Interactive. ZDNET Logo is a service mark of CBS Interactive.