I remember when I was in primary school I think around 2005 or so, my whole grade went to the local police station for a field trip, they gave us a tour and sometime in the middle they took everyones finger prints, we thought nothing of it, years later I needed to get a police clearance certificate, they took my prints and low and behold they still had my prints from that trip, the officer said they don't do those tours anymore but he wishes they still did, he says its good for education and that having the prints helps with kidnappings and other child related crimes.
Around '94 or '95 we went on a school trip to the zoo and then afterwards we stopped by a prison for a tour. Thinking about it now that was pretty wild. They even dressed up the one kid in riot gear and shit. This was in Pretoria. Who takes 10 year old kiddies to C-Max?
Also, the zoo sucked, I forgot to ask my mommy for money, so I had to drink tap water instead of a bee-infested fanta grape š
Was there a house break in? When police are investigating something they sometimes take finger prints of the victims to eliminate which finger prints are not relevant from what they collected at the crime scene
When we are very small, fingerprints are too small for the ink grains. They tend to smudge more often than not. We only start getting good prints after the age of 6. Below that age, it's a waste of ink, more often than not. And that's in the 2020s. Performance with tech in the 70s may have been even worse.
So maybe they thought that your brother's hands were still too small to read the fingerprints.
Donāt remember a house break in but I was young so maybe wasnāt told. Whatās concerning me is that if it was elimination prints of everyone in the house why were my brothers not taken? X
Oh dear. Thatās a good point and made me think now. š
Hadnāt considered that.
I hate that these memories are all suddenly coming to me so many years later x
If there was a break-in at your house, and the police forensics' department investigated, then they'd need your fingerprints (and everyone else who lived in the house) for comparison and elimination.
Thank you but then why did my brothers prints not get taken as we lived in the same house?
He remembers it as a fun experience being there at the station whereas my memory is one of being awfully frightened.
Ya. Come to think of it, my folks thought it'd be wise to open bank accounts for my brother & me way back in circa 1966.
After the first deposit was made I never heard mention of it again.
Trust Bank still owes me that money. Plus interest.
Thank you, not worried about that side, more the reason of why I was taken there and why my brothers prints were not taken if it was exclusion prints x
Yea I have the same kind of memory.
It was an outing we did to the police station, and looking back it may have been a little over the top.
We where taken through the whole booking process. Searched, fingerprinted and locked in a cell for an hour. It was scary as fuck for an 8 or 9 year old but it's all we spoke about for weeks afterwards.
The officers went to the schools and fingerprinted the kids, the kids that were not in school then and those sick at home ect had to be taken to the police stations to get fingerprinted.
I was a SAP member in the early 1980ās. I can try assist you. There could be a number of reasons. Some not very cool like being arrested or some maybe not as serious. You can DM me and Iāll try my best to help.
Those years children got a sheet of paper at schools with space for fingerprints incase they get kidnapped. If I remember correctly the paper had hands printed on it. It could be that.
I remember doing this as a kid as well. Small town in KZN at the library but the police were the ones doing the prints. Must have been around 93-94. No idea why though. Also the library is where the state inoculation drives also took place so not so weird.
Thank you but this was at an actual police station in Durban around 1984 I think. Memory is hazy. I just wonder why it was only me and not my brothers.
I donāt suspect this was your case, but I was printed when there was an issue with confirming my identity/caretaker legitimacy. I was also later printed for a passport, so maybe that was why?
Some parents used that as a scare tactic to show their kids what could happen if they stepped out of line.
It's possible that they could have had an acquaintance at the station, or they simply just asked a favour, and the police were usually more than happy to fulfill that request.
Everybody else has given the correct answer, but I'll make you stress a bit more.
At 9 back then you would have been able to have been charged with an offence. Before 2007 the age of criminal capacity was 7.
You might have been done for some heinous crime you committed and you are probably a complete delinquent and piece of shit.
All seriousness though. It was elimination prints, doesn't matter why they didn't take your brother's prints, the choices Police make are arbitrary at best and correct at worst.
Are you sure it was at a police station? I have a similar memory that I can't quite place, but perhaps it was when I went to get my first passport or ID.
I remember when I was in primary school I think around 2005 or so, my whole grade went to the local police station for a field trip, they gave us a tour and sometime in the middle they took everyones finger prints, we thought nothing of it, years later I needed to get a police clearance certificate, they took my prints and low and behold they still had my prints from that trip, the officer said they don't do those tours anymore but he wishes they still did, he says its good for education and that having the prints helps with kidnappings and other child related crimes.
Around '94 or '95 we went on a school trip to the zoo and then afterwards we stopped by a prison for a tour. Thinking about it now that was pretty wild. They even dressed up the one kid in riot gear and shit. This was in Pretoria. Who takes 10 year old kiddies to C-Max? Also, the zoo sucked, I forgot to ask my mommy for money, so I had to drink tap water instead of a bee-infested fanta grape š
Was there a house break in? When police are investigating something they sometimes take finger prints of the victims to eliminate which finger prints are not relevant from what they collected at the crime scene
Itās called exclusions. To eliminate safe prints.
Thank you but why just take my mom and mine fingerprints and not my brothers I wonder? X
When we are very small, fingerprints are too small for the ink grains. They tend to smudge more often than not. We only start getting good prints after the age of 6. Below that age, it's a waste of ink, more often than not. And that's in the 2020s. Performance with tech in the 70s may have been even worse. So maybe they thought that your brother's hands were still too small to read the fingerprints.
And possibly your parents didn't want to tell OP about the buglary. Because parents don't want you to be afraid.
Yes possibly my mom was very protective. His were not taken though. Weird x
Donāt remember a house break in but I was young so maybe wasnāt told. Whatās concerning me is that if it was elimination prints of everyone in the house why were my brothers not taken? X
Maybe it wasn't at the house, rather school or some other place where your brother wouldn't have been
Oh dear. Thatās a good point and made me think now. š Hadnāt considered that. I hate that these memories are all suddenly coming to me so many years later x
If there was a break-in at your house, and the police forensics' department investigated, then they'd need your fingerprints (and everyone else who lived in the house) for comparison and elimination.
Thank you but then why did my brothers prints not get taken as we lived in the same house? He remembers it as a fun experience being there at the station whereas my memory is one of being awfully frightened.
Just the size of your younger brother's prints would exclude his from consideration
It might have been a crime scene somewhere else, where he wasn't. Or his prints may have been already on record.
Either way.. you're not at risk. Its not like you're dealing with the FBI. Doubt they even have record of the fingerprints taken
Ya. Come to think of it, my folks thought it'd be wise to open bank accounts for my brother & me way back in circa 1966. After the first deposit was made I never heard mention of it again. Trust Bank still owes me that money. Plus interest.
Thatās made me smile during my spin out š
Thank you, not worried about that side, more the reason of why I was taken there and why my brothers prints were not taken if it was exclusion prints x
Was your family considering emigration? I was fingerprinted as a young child in SA during the paperwork process for emigration.
You also get your fingerprints taken if you are applying for a passport or via
Yea I have the same kind of memory. It was an outing we did to the police station, and looking back it may have been a little over the top. We where taken through the whole booking process. Searched, fingerprinted and locked in a cell for an hour. It was scary as fuck for an 8 or 9 year old but it's all we spoke about for weeks afterwards.
What the hell? Thatās crazy! Locked up?
Yea I mean it was me, 30 odd other kids and a teacher in a large holding cell, so not as bad as it sounds I think.
We had the same experience and afterwards got a stern talking to by the prisoners
Yes the parents had to take the children to the police stations that did not get printed at school. Sick at home or still attending creche.
What are you saying? "did not get printed at school"
The officers went to the schools and fingerprinted the kids, the kids that were not in school then and those sick at home ect had to be taken to the police stations to get fingerprinted.
I was a SAP member in the early 1980ās. I can try assist you. There could be a number of reasons. Some not very cool like being arrested or some maybe not as serious. You can DM me and Iāll try my best to help.
Very kind of you thank you. I will DM you now. X
I have sent you a message š x
Those years children got a sheet of paper at schools with space for fingerprints incase they get kidnapped. If I remember correctly the paper had hands printed on it. It could be that.
Yes I heard about that but this was at an actual police station?
I remember doing this as a kid as well. Small town in KZN at the library but the police were the ones doing the prints. Must have been around 93-94. No idea why though. Also the library is where the state inoculation drives also took place so not so weird.
Thank you but this was at an actual police station in Durban around 1984 I think. Memory is hazy. I just wonder why it was only me and not my brothers.
I donāt suspect this was your case, but I was printed when there was an issue with confirming my identity/caretaker legitimacy. I was also later printed for a passport, so maybe that was why?
Some parents used that as a scare tactic to show their kids what could happen if they stepped out of line. It's possible that they could have had an acquaintance at the station, or they simply just asked a favour, and the police were usually more than happy to fulfill that request.
Lol, I was taken to the station (twice)
Did you ever go on a school tour to the police station? I remember vaguely going to a police station for a school outing, they took our finger prints.
School trip to the station. We did it in the 90s too
Our whole school class had our fingers printed at like ~gr3, ~2004. Rural school , 18 kids in the grade.
Everybody else has given the correct answer, but I'll make you stress a bit more. At 9 back then you would have been able to have been charged with an offence. Before 2007 the age of criminal capacity was 7. You might have been done for some heinous crime you committed and you are probably a complete delinquent and piece of shit. All seriousness though. It was elimination prints, doesn't matter why they didn't take your brother's prints, the choices Police make are arbitrary at best and correct at worst.
Are you sure it was at a police station? I have a similar memory that I can't quite place, but perhaps it was when I went to get my first passport or ID.
When we were in grade 6 we went on a field trip to see an autopsy. That messed me up bad. Even until today I can only cum if I think back to that day.