Fingerprint Patterns

A fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges on all parts of the finger. A friction ridge is a raised portion of the epidermis on the palmar (palm) or digits (fingers and toes) or plantar (sole) skin, consisting of one or more connected ridge units of friction ridge skin. These are sometimes known as “epidermal ridges” which are caused by the underlying interface between the dermal papillae of the dermis and the interpapillary (rete) pegs of the epidermis. These epidermal ridges serve to amplify vibrations triggered when fingertips brush across an uneven surface, better transmitting the signals to sensory nerves involved in fine texture perception. The ridges assist in gripping rough surfaces, as well as smooth wet surfaces.

Fingerprints may be deposited in natural secretions from the eccrine glands present in friction ridge skin (secretions consisting primarily of water) or they may be made by ink or other contaminants transferred from the peaks of friction skin ridges to a relatively smooth surface such as a fingerprint card.The term fingerprint normally refers to impressions transferred from the pad on the last joint of fingers and thumbs, though fingerprint cards also typically record portions of lower joint areas of the fingers (which are also used to make identifications).

The patterns

Fingerprints of a suspected or an arrested person are taken by the Police. This is to facilitate identification of the person, or use it to trace the involvement of the person in the crime. Fingerprints are the most conclusive means of personal identification of humans. The purpose behind the systematic storage is to enable easy and quick retrieval of the subject’s fingerprints. Sir Francis Galton was instrumental in identifying the patterns and their significance. It was Sir Edward Richard Henry, who made the distinction between the nine different patterns and described them. Fundamentally fingerprints are in four groups. They are:

Arches.
• Plain Arch [A]
• Tented Arch [T]

Loops.
• Radial Loop [R]
• Ulnar Loop [U]

Whorls [W]
(a) Spiral; (b) Concentric.

Composites.
• Twinned Loop [TL or S]
• Central Pocket Loop [CP ]
• Lateral Pocket Loop [LP or S]
• Accidental [X]

ARCHES: Arches are fingerprint patterns in which the ridges traverse form on side to the other, without recurving. They are further sub-classified as Plain and Tented Arch.

Plain Arch [A]

Plain Arch: This type of arch has ridges flowing smoothly from one side of the pattern to the other, with a slight uprising in the middle region. There are no other features in this type of pattern. They are denoted by the Alphabet [A].They are denoted by the Alphabet [A].

Tented Arch [T]

Tented Arch: the ridges in this pattern flow from one side of the finger to the other with a sharp uprising in the middle. The core or the mid region of the pattern contains a pole like ridge, which is similar to the pole of a tent. Hence, they are known as Tented Arch. They are denoted by the Alphabet [T].

LOOPS: Loops are patterns where at least one ridge flows from one side of the finger to another, to traverse and recurve to the side of its origin. It is shaped like a hairpin. Loops have one delta only. There are two types of loops. They are Radial and Ulanr Loops.

Radial Loop [R]: the ridges originate from the side of the side of the radial bone of the forearm and exit in the same side.

Ulnar loop [U]: the ridges originate from the side of the little finger and exits in the same side.
In order to distinguish between Ulnar and radial loops you must:

1) Know from which hand the loop pattern comes from and;
2) place your hand palm side down over top of the impression and determine if the recurving ridges originate from the little finger side or the thumb side.

If the ridges flow in from the little finger side this would be an ‘Ulnar’ loop. If the ridges flow in from the thumb side this would be a ‘radial’ loop.

Loop Patterns

WHORLS: whorls are patterns where the ridges recurve several times to form either a spiral, or concentric circles around the central part of the pattern, called the core. They have two deltas (the delta point is a pattern of a fingerprint that resembles the Greek letter delta. It’s the point on a friction ridge at or nearest to the point of divergence of two type lines) on either side. The whorl pattern consists of one or more free recurving ridges and two points of delta. When the line of the fingerprint disc is placed on the two points of delta, it will bisect at least one of the ridges belonging to the core group. They are all designated by the alphabet [W].

Whorl

COMPOSITES: These patterns are a combination of two of the above patterns. They have two deltas.

Central Pocket Loop

Lateral Pocket Loop

Twinned Loop

Accidental

Twinned Loop (T.L / S):

In this type, one loop is found intertwined with another. The point of origin and exit of one loop are different from that of the other. Two deltas can be seen in this pattern.

Double loop:

In this pattern, two loops originate and end at the same point. Here too there are two deltas.

Central Pocket (C.P.):

In Central pocket loops, the majority of the ridges take the form of a loop, but one or more ridges recurve at the core to form a pocket. Two deltas are present in this pattern.

Lateral pocket (L.P.):

When the ridges constituting the loop bend sharply downwards on one side before re-curving, thereby forming on that side an inter-space or ‘pocket’, usually filled by the ridges of another loop, the impression is termed as a lateral pocket loop. The core is placed laterally and there are two deltas.

Accidental (X):

If the impression is too irregular to be classified in any of the above categories, it is known as Accidental. Here there may be more than two deltas.

References:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerprint
• http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/delta_point.html
• FORENSIC SCIENCE PRACTICAL MANUAL- PROF.ARVIND G.B
• Forensic Science Tutorials – S.B.R.R.MAHAJANA FIRST GRADE COLLEGE

Prejudice and Discrimination

Introduction

Discrimination is a sociological term that refers to treatment taken toward or against a person of a certain group that is taken in consideration based on class or category. The United Nations explains: “Discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection.” Discriminatory laws such as redlining have existed in many countries. In some countries, controversial attempts such as racial quotas have been used to redress negative effects of discrimination.

The term prejudice is derived from the Latin term which means a judgment based on previous information or feelings. It is not based on the present experience exclusively. It stands for the unfavorable altitude towards a person or a group. It is an unfounded judgment that is a judgment without adequate basis. It is not factual often based on stereo types. In other words a prejudice is a preconceived belief, opinion or judgment especially toward a group of people characterized by their race, social class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or religion. Also, it means a priori beliefs (without knowledge of the facts) and includes “any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence.” Although positive and negative prejudice both exist, when used negatively, “prejudice” implies fear and antipathy toward such a group.

Forms of discrimination

Race discrimination

Racial discrimination differentiates between individuals on the basis of real and perceived racial differences, and has been official government policy in several countries, such as South Africa in the apartheid era, and the USA.
In the United States, racial profiling of minorities by law enforcement officials has been called racial discrimination. As early as 1865, the Civil Rights Act provided a remedy for intentional race discrimination in employment by private employers and state and local public employers. The Civil Rights Act of 1871, applies to public employment or employment involving state action prohibiting deprivation of rights secured by the federal constitution or federal laws through action under color of law. Title VII is the principal federal statute with regard to employment discrimination prohibiting unlawful employment discrimination by public and private employers, labor organizations, training programs and employment agencies based on race or color, religion, gender, and national origin.

Age discrimination

Age discrimination is discrimination on the grounds of age. Although theoretically the word can refer to the discrimination against any age group, age discrimination usually comes in one of three forms: discrimination against youth (also called adultism), discrimination against those 40 years old or older, and discrimination against elderly people. In the United States, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits employment discrimination nationwide based on age with respect to employees 40 years of age or older.

In many countries, companies more or less openly refuse to hire people above a certain age despite the increasing lifespans and average age of the population. The reasons for this range from vague feelings younger people are more “dynamic” and create a positive image for the company, to more concrete concerns about regulations granting older employees higher salaries or other benefits without these expenses being fully justified by an older employees’ greater experience.

Some people consider that teenagers and youth (around 15–25 years old) are victims of adultism, age discrimination framed as a paternalistic form of protection. In seeking social justice, they feel that it is necessary to remove the use of a false moral agenda in order to achieve agency and empowerment.
This perspective is based on the grounds that youth should be treated more respectfully by adults and not as second-class citizens. Some suggest that social stratification in age groups causes outsiders to incorrectly stereotype and generalize the group, for instance that all adolescents are equally immature, violent or rebellious, listen to rock tunes, and do drugs. Some have organized groups against age discrimination.

Gender discrimination

Though gender discrimination and sexism refers to beliefs and attitudes in relation to the gender of a person, such beliefs and attitudes are of a social nature and do not, normally, carry any legal consequences. Sex discrimination, on the other hand, may have legal consequences.

Though what constitutes sex discrimination varies between countries, the essence is that it is an adverse action taken by one person against another person that would not have occurred had the person been of another sex. Discrimination of that nature in certain enumerated circumstances is illegal in many countries.
Currently, discrimination based on sex is defined as adverse action against another person, that would not have occurred had the person been of another sex. This is considered a form of prejudice and is illegal in certain enumerated circumstances in most countries.

Sexual discrimination can arise in different contexts. For instance an employee may be discriminated against by being asked discriminatory questions during a job interview, or because an employer did not hire, promote or wrongfully terminated an employee based on his or her gender, or employers pay unequally based on gender.
In an educational setting there could be claims that a student was excluded from an educational institution, program, opportunity, loan, student group, or scholarship due to his or her gender. In the housing setting there could be claims that a person was refused negotiations on seeking a house, contracting/leasing a house or getting a loan based on his or her gender. Another setting where there have been claims of gender discrimination is banking; for example if one is refused credit or is offered unequal loan terms based on one’s gender
Socially, sexual differences have been used to justify different roles for men and women, in some cases giving rise to claims of primary and secondary roles.

Disability discrimination

People with disabilities face discrimination in all levels of society. The attitude that disabled individuals are inferior to non-disabled individuals is called ableism or disablism. Historically, the disabled have been shunned for their problems. These views are reinforced in modern times in media, books, films, comics, art and language.
Chronic pain is a debilitating condition which is often neglected in modern society. According to the American Chiropractic Association, over 50% of all working US citizens complain of back pain each year. An estimated 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their life. Many times pain can become chronic and debilitating.

Disabled people may also face discrimination by employers. They may find problems with securing employment as their disability can be seen as a risk to the company, and once in employment they may find they are overlooked for promotion opportunities. Similarly, if an employee becomes disabled while employed they may also find themselves being managed out the company by HR departments.

Unsympathetic employers can make life very difficult for such employees and can often make their health problems worse. Disability discrimination laws mean that in theory the employee has a method of redress in such instances.
Almost every person with a syndrome is discriminated against. They may not be able to join organizations, and they may even be neglected by schools and other public utilities.

Forms of prejudice

John Farley put prejudice into three categories:

• Cognitive Prejudice refers to what people believe to be true: for example, in adherence to a particular metaphysical or methodological philosophy at the expense of other philosophies which may offer a more complete theoretical explanation.

• Affective Prejudice refers to what people like and dislike: for example, in attitudes toward members of particular classes such as race, ethnicity, national origin, or creed.

• Conative Prejudice refers to how people are inclined to behave. It is regarded as an attitude because people do not act on their feelings. An example of conative prejudice may be found in expressions of what should be done if the opportunity presents itself.

These three types of prejudice are correlated, but all need not be present in a particular individual. Someone may believe that a particular group possesses low levels of intelligence, but harbour no ill feeling towards that group. A group may be disliked because of intense competition for jobs, but still recognise no differences between groups.

“Discrimination” is a behaviour (an action), with reference to unequal treatment of people because they are members of a particular group. Farley also put discrimination into three categories:

• Personal / Individual Discrimination is directed toward a specific individual and refers to any act that leads to unequal treatment because of the individual’s real or perceived group membership.

• Legal Discrimination refers to “unequal treatment, on the grounds of group membership, that is upheld by law.” Apartheid is an example of legal discrimination, as are also various post-Civil war laws in the southern United States that legally disadvantaged negros with respect to property rights, employment rights and the exercise of constitutional rights.

• Institutional Discrimination refers to unequal treatment that is entrenched in basic social institutions resulting in advantaging one group over another. The Indian caste system and European feudal system are historical examples of institutional discrimination.

NOTE : As with prejudice generally, these three types of discrimination are correlated and may be found to varying degrees in individuals and society at large. Many forms of discrimination based upon prejudice are outwardly acceptable in most societies.

Conclusion

It must be remembered that prejudice and discriminations are formed over a long period of time in the life of an individual as well as in the life of a group. Prejudices are traditional and they are socially transmitted. However most countries have taken great steps to prevent them and make them self more and more to cultivate in this manner.

Great leaders and powerful constitutions help in dealing with such situations in the modern world. Nevertheless its not a one man job nor is it a nations job. It is a job for everybody and only with great strength of unity can over-power this unfortunate element

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org
An introduction to social Psychology – B.Kuppuswamy

Broken promises…

One day you told me that you love me.
One day you told me “I will be there for you.”
One day you told me that you will protect me.
One day you told me that you will never hurt me.

Today you tell me you still love me.
Today you tell me you will be here for me.
Today you tell me that you would still protect me.
But today you hurt me.

Please don’t hurt me like this.
Please don’t kill me with your deeds.
Please don’t insult my love.
But today you do.

My heart can’t take this anymore.
My soul can’t tolerate this anymore.
My life cant take this anymore.
But today…
“Tears come down like rain,
My heart beats no more!
Silence is all I know,
And today the World is no more!”

But why cant I hate you?
why cant I forget you?
why cant I forgive you?
But today why do I want you so?

My inspiration…

I wonder what happened
I thought I understood life so well
But was lonely at heart…
Until I met you.
You have opened a door that had been locked for so long…

I wonder how this could be
I remember your words that night
“I felt my life was lifeless…
But then you came along and it feels like my life is full of life again…”
The words so powerful
Penetrated my heart…

The world I knew was black and white…
You have made it so colorful
I wonder what has happened
And how you became my inspiration… for life

Candle..

The power has gone, and i am with just a candle..
With a light so dim..
but dont know why .. i feel you here with me..
i watch the dancing flame, thinking that one day i will be with you..

I feel cold..
but your precence makes me warm from within..
those eyes have lightened up my heart..
that smile has lit my life

Thank you for caring..
and making me feel at home in your heart..
I will never ever forget you..

photo by KudaNai

A new dawn for Maldivian Police

“President appoints officials to senior Police, MNDF positions” media reports making history… this was exciting news as people had anticipated so much on this topic. But for me I needed to see what the most powerful law enforcement agency the MPS would be during this change.

The organization

Truly Maldives Police Service has made history today. It has been given the change to embrace change. MPS been the most powerful law enforcement agency in town will now face the toughest challenge of all, to prove to the people that it is part of them and is not apart from them. Earlier history states that people regarded MPS as a tool of politics a tool of power that would be executed then and there for political reasoning. Many incidents have occurred during the last five years which included mistreating prisoners to even custodial deaths and MPS been given the center of attention in almost all.

It was perfectly clear from the very beginning that the management of MPS was getting “old” day by day, unfair promotions, favoritism, nepotism, sidelining for difference of opinion and been neglected played “culture” within the organization. Junior officers were subjected to very unfair treatments. This was the practice in general. Many officers tried to change it within the system and suffered a lot resulting in resigning, change of section/unit, promotion been halted and even transfer from police.

Even after its independence from the military the organization was in a shadow of military rule. Many senior officers were from military background. This was also another factor for the unfair treatments… because the agency was a civilian unit but had adapted military rules within it.

The Commissioner

Preferably the highest position in MPS was under the direct threat of political chaos! Pressure from each side was always imminent. This post was not independent it was under direct command of the political environment. Sadly law enforcement failed in many areas.

But the former Commissioner had done a lot to be neutral to the public. Even though people argue, his skills of management survived through harsh time, “Made a stand through it all”. But as the environment changed the post was also subjected to change. It is very lucid that MPS had reached new heights in investigations, training and forensic science. This is in fact is the work of commissioner and his senior management. But keeping it alive was on the shoulders of the junior officers who dedicated so much and sacrifice.

New commissioner

Arguably the toughest job! Reconstruction, rebuilding, “taking out the trash” are just a little on the list for the top most brass of the MPS now. His work and training will be tested, carefully monitored by many eyes and ears. Challenges are just limitless and fingers will point from everywhere. Most of all he has to prove that he is not the former commissioner.

Many junior officers are expecting for change praying for it and had been doing it for a long time. The organization needs a person who would put forward the religion, country and people before him. A person who is completely out of biased politics.

I wish the newly appointed commissioner of police the very best and May you guide this nation and create faith in people towards the true concept of “to protect and serve”.

Cartographic School

Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quételet (a Belgium mathematician) and Andre-Michel Guerre (a French statistician) in Europe during the 1830s and 1840s were the first to do detailed statistical studies of crime. Quételet found strong correlations between rates of crime and such factors as illiteracy, poverty, and similar variables. He also noted that these same variables remained the same as the highest crime rates continued to occur in the same parts of the city through several decades. Some called this school of thought the “Cartographic School” since it used maps to plot crimes within a certain geographic area.

As geography plays an important role within modern policing. Cartographic School can contribute valuable information to criminal research and crime prevention. One of the most important tools in identifying crime is Crime mapping, which is mapping of crime using a geographic information system to conduct spatial analysis of crime problems and other police-related issues. To this Cartographic School plays an important part. The cartographic school introduced the first spatial and ecological perspectives on crime.

The school stated the distribution of crimes across territorial divisions or departments of France. It found that the greatest numbers of crime against people and property occurred in departments that were near Rhone, Rhine or Seine Rivers and that the fewest numbers of crimes against people and property occurred in departments in the center of France. The school found a stronger propensity to crime against property in department near Mediterranean and a stronger propensity to crimes against in departments in the north. In addition to analysing distributions of general crime rates and correlating them with distributions of other conditions, the proponents of this school made special studies of juvenile delinquency and professional crime which are roughly comparable to studies in this century. Significantly it showed that the crime is a necessary expression of social conditions. The basic idea was that crime is caused by the conflicts of values that arise when legal norms do not take into consideration the behavioural norms that are specific to the lower socioeconomic classes as well as to various age groups, religious groups, and interest groups living in certain geographic areas.

In addition to this, the Cartographic school used objective mathematical techniques to investigate the influence of social factors such as seasons, climate, sex and age on the propensity to commit crime. The most important factor was these social forces correlated to significantly to crime rates. In addition to finding age and sex had a stronger influence in crime, the Cartographic school uncovered evidence that season, climate, population composition and poverty were also related to criminality, most specifically the crime rates were greater in the summer in southern areas among heterogeneous population, and among the poor and uneducated, they were highly influenced by drinking habits. This school identified many relationships between crime and social phenomena that still servers as a basis for criminal studies.

Campaigning in police!

Certain rumors have surfaced about MPS officers actively advocating against a certain candidate covertly and overtly practicing it in the organization.

This comes as a huge surprise; MPS officers should be more responsible than this. I also agree that MPS had gone through a lot during recent times specially at protests, riots and many other forms of violence that were targeted towards them. But this does not mean that the meaning of policing be left out of the ethics which the MPS uphold and believe in. I strongly advise the MPS officers to refrain themselves from such acts. It is every eligible individual’s right to vote for his or her choice.

I thank police officers Station Inspector Younus Sobah and Sub Inspector Mohamed Hameed for bringing this into light and standing up for what they believe in.

“Exercise your right to vote without influence”

Please visit the posted link below

http://fuluheh.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/presidential-election-campaigning-in-mps/

A criminal is not born but made… (Family aspect)

People might wonder what makes a criminal to become a criminal… this process is a long process which indeed starts from the very beginning of childhood.  Here are some family related factors that affect a human brain to convert in to a criminal mind.

Families in general are a group of related people living under the same roof. Family reflects of what and who we are at most times. It is also a reflection of how one is brought up. The family is basically divided in to three groups. They are ‘Parents’, ‘Siblings’ and ‘Relatives’.

Here are some examples of family disasters:

• If the parents are unable to care for the child, an ignored child
• Abusive parents (physically and mentally)
• Poor parental love (most cases young mothers with illegitimate children
• Single parent ( runway youngsters and separated parents
• Children of alcoholics and drug users

 
These are major areas that can affect the brain of a young child. In some cases like abusive parents, the child tends to imitate what he/she has gone through in the early childhood; he/she would be a mirror reflection of the abuses he/she had gone through. That is why it is advised not to even quarrel in front of the child.

There are some other factors also, like the siblings with criminal background. A brother or a sister can also have a bad influence on a young mind. And as well, relatives of criminals tend to turn in to criminals. But this is rare; then again it happens in many parts of the world.  Then the most important part is what most parents exercise the most… it is over strictness. “It is human instinct to search for an exit in case of fire”… likewise youngsters would try everything they can to escape in to the freedom from the strict rules and regulation they face at home.

Even so some people from broken or criminal families turn out great. These are just some causes that generally play a huge role in converting a human brain into a criminal mind…

Security in general

Security is the condition of being protected against danger, loss, and criminals. In the general sense, security is a concept similar to safety. The nuance between the two is an added emphasis on being protected from dangers that originate from outside. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for the breach of security.

The word “security” in general usage is synonymous with “safety,” but as a technical term “security” means that something not only is secure but that it has been secured. In telecommunications, the term security has the following meanings:[1]
A condition that results from the establishment and maintenance of protective measures that ensure a state of inviolability from hostile acts or influences.
With respect to classified matter, the condition that prevents unauthorized persons from having access to official information that is safeguarded in the interests of national security.
Measures taken by a military unit, an activity or installation to protect itself against all acts designed to, or which may, impair its effectiveness.

Security has to be compared and contrasted with other related concepts: Safety, continuity, reliability. The key difference between security and reliability is that security must take into account the actions of active malicious agents attempting to cause destruction.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security

Security for our presidential candidates!

Recently I came across the news that Maldives police service is providing security to our presidential candidates and their running mates. So I tort I should just dig a little on this topic and see how it is handled by the most powerful law enforcement agency in town.

This is what I came across….

The Media

Haveeru news paper read “Police protection has been extended, as per the Election regulations, to the presidential candidates and their running mates who have been declared as contesting in the country’s first ever multiparty presidential elections to be held on 8 October.” It further state that from Sunday night, a personal security officer will be assigned to every presidential candidate and their running mate 24 hours. This security is provided with accordance to the Articles 105 and 237 of the Constitution and Article 11 of the Election Act 12/2008.

The unit and training

The responsibility of this security falls on to the hands of the newly formed “Dignitary Protection Unit” which operates under Special Operations Command. The unit was formed September 8th, and not even a month has passed as it has begun its work. Further details of the duties and strength of security operations are not known to the public.

It is not a secret that a limited number of people work in the police force making it a huge challenge to make a unit of this kind. The mother unit is “Special Operation Command” which handles the security of special events, protection of police buildings, anti riot campaigns and is the first and the last defence of police generally. Dignitary Protection Units existence would have made the SOC’s responsibilities at a new height now.

Now comes the part of training! Is the Dignitary Protection Unit well equipped to the challenge or does it exist in just a name. It is said in the official site of the United States Secret Service that their special agents or the new recruits to the service has to undergo 11 weeks of intensive training and also a further 16 weeks of specialized instruction. The Dignitary Protection unit started its work less than a month of its existence and with this info one thing comes in to my mind. Can the “new born” Dignitary Protection unit be at its best? Or can it perform its duties even at an average rate…?

SPG

There is a almost a similar unit in the Maldivian defence force which goes by the name SPECIAL PROTECTION GROUP or SPG in short. This unit in MNDF also has similar responsibilities like protecting and safeguarding the Head of State. This unit came to existence after 3 November 1988 incident; to offer its services to the head of state and other V.I.Ps. It is believed that these soldiers are highly trained. These soldiers undergo a special training called BG (body guard) training at a military facility. However their services are almost solely enjoyed by the president.

Status of the country…

Everyone knows that the politics goes at a very unpredictable way and in Maldives it is even worse. The influences of politicians are very strong among the public. Supporters of parties are ready to go extreme levels just to promote and prove certain points! Daily lives are interrupted by so many “political obstacles”. The rivalry between parties goes beyond imagination!

So I stop to wonder can the newly formed Dignitary Protection Unit perform its duties without any influence. Can the limited number of security officers be good enough for the security of these very important people of the country?

Having the above points in my mind I wish the officers of Dignitary Protection Unit all the best.

Reference:
http://police.gov.mv/news.php?news_id=932
http://police.gov.mv/dhiv_news.php?news_id=1243
http://www.haveeru.com.mv/?page=details&id=74053&cat=search
http://www.haveeru.com.mv/english/?page=details&id=24579
http://www.secretservice.gov/opportunities_agent.shtml
http://mndf.gov.mv/about.asp