Police fingerprint Museum staff
POLICE expert Julian Atkins was called in to fingerprint Museum of Wellington City and Sea Director Brett Mason on Friday.
But his prints were not taken for a recently committed crime, more so for an historic crime, committed in Wellington in 1905.
Mason’s prints will be used in a new exhibition Capital Policing at the Museum which is currently being developed by Museum Experience Manager Paul Thompson.
The new exhibition will feature an interactive where people can test their skill at matching fingerprints. It includes mug shots of noted Wellington criminals from the turn of the century and old equipment used to take their prints.
In a gesture of goodwill Atkins, who is a long-time finger print expert and Police College tutor, inked Mason and Thompson.
“As far as we know, every human finger print is different – even twins”, says Atkins.
“I’ve looked into the research and print databases have been compared to other databases and so far no matches have been found,” he says.
“Prints don’t change over the course of your life. They remain constant from before birth – at 24 weeks and even after you die. From 10-24 weeks your skin develops in the womb.”
Atkins has only experienced one mismatched finger print. Confused, he soon discovered that the man had his finger amputated and replaced with his big toe.
“Yes, even fingers and toes have different prints,” he says, laughing.
Capital Policing is currently under investigation. The case will open in May.
The Clancy Case:
WELLINGTON led the way in introducing new crime investigation techniques in 1903, including fingerprinting and mug shots. It was the responsibility of the Prisons Department to take impressions from convicted criminals and within a couple of years the police Fingerprints Branch, took over. More than 3,500 prints had been collected a year later.
Wellingtonian John Clancy, a 30-year-old blacksmith, was the first person to be convicted of an offence on the evidence of one fingerprint alone. Following a break-in at Mary Ann Williams house on the Terrace on 23 February, 1905 there was nothing to link him to the stolen jewellery except for one finger print on the window.
It took the jury 35 minutes to decide on a guilty verdict and Clancy was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Never before had a NZ case been decided solely on fingerprint evidence.
But his prints were not taken for a recently committed crime, more so for an historic crime, committed in Wellington in 1905.
Mason’s prints will be used in a new exhibition Capital Policing at the Museum which is currently being developed by Museum Experience Manager Paul Thompson.
The new exhibition will feature an interactive where people can test their skill at matching fingerprints. It includes mug shots of noted Wellington criminals from the turn of the century and old equipment used to take their prints.
In a gesture of goodwill Atkins, who is a long-time finger print expert and Police College tutor, inked Mason and Thompson.
“As far as we know, every human finger print is different – even twins”, says Atkins.
“I’ve looked into the research and print databases have been compared to other databases and so far no matches have been found,” he says.
“Prints don’t change over the course of your life. They remain constant from before birth – at 24 weeks and even after you die. From 10-24 weeks your skin develops in the womb.”
Atkins has only experienced one mismatched finger print. Confused, he soon discovered that the man had his finger amputated and replaced with his big toe.
“Yes, even fingers and toes have different prints,” he says, laughing.
Capital Policing is currently under investigation. The case will open in May.
The Clancy Case:
WELLINGTON led the way in introducing new crime investigation techniques in 1903, including fingerprinting and mug shots. It was the responsibility of the Prisons Department to take impressions from convicted criminals and within a couple of years the police Fingerprints Branch, took over. More than 3,500 prints had been collected a year later.
Wellingtonian John Clancy, a 30-year-old blacksmith, was the first person to be convicted of an offence on the evidence of one fingerprint alone. Following a break-in at Mary Ann Williams house on the Terrace on 23 February, 1905 there was nothing to link him to the stolen jewellery except for one finger print on the window.
It took the jury 35 minutes to decide on a guilty verdict and Clancy was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Never before had a NZ case been decided solely on fingerprint evidence.
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