How I Think NIDS Came Into Being
This is my theory. When Jamaicans started scamming elderly Americans, the FBI subsequently began operating in Jamaica to help catch scammers.
That’s where it all began. NIDS became a thing when Portia was prime minister but for some reason she did not roll it out.
Scammers are not easy to catch. The FBI probably said look, if you guys can’t catch them we have a solution. Create a database system and obtain fingerprint/biometrics on ALL citizens.
Make sure there’s a hefty fine. If they refuse to submit all the required information to enroll, fine them an amount that they can’t afford to pay which will leave them no choice but to relent.
I am all for catching the scammers because oftentimes they are involved in murders locally.
What Prime Minister Holness should have done was say we’ll help catch the scammers for both our country’s sake, but we’ll do so by creating the database in the criminal justice system. We will not FORCE all citizens, including law abiding citizens, to enroll.
It is wrong and it is not something that the US does to their citizens. American citizens born in the US are not forced to submit their fingerprints to a government database. Fingerprints are required of naturalised citizens and legal aliens. They also have a choice not to enter the country. The key word is ‘choice’. Holness is using an immigration approach on Jamaica citizens. They should not be treated like immigrants in their own country.
So now we have NIDS.
Scammers won’t voluntarily give up fingerprints or other personally identifiable information. They don’t care about not being able to access services. The main service they use is western union through which funds can be accessed via a third party. They are going to view NIDS as an “informer ID” therefore they won’t get it. So let’s sit back and see how NIDS will help to fix crime.
By Natalee Stack
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