Seretse said the current system of permanently keeping records has proven to be highly effective and invaluable to the criminal justice process. He added that any changes to this would be counterproductive in the fight against crime.
"Ex-convicts are at liberty to apply for pardon under Section 53 of the Constitution, which if granted, will effectively erase their criminal records but not their fingerprints," he said. Fingerprint records form a permanent record of the accused person's criminal history; they can only be destroyed following a court order. The law is also silent on how long fingerprints should be kept. The records are useful for determining previous convictions of repeat offenders and guide the courts in handing down appropriate sentences. Further, they have proved to be essential in identifying and placing suspects at crime scenes, leading to their apprehension and successful prosecution, the minister said. Seretse was responding to a question from Francistown South MP Wynter Mmolotsi who asked if he (Seretse) would consider repealing the fingerprints record to assist ex-convicts get employment. Mmolotsi said keeping the records active after convicts are released goes against the objective of rehabilitation.
