Welsh nightclubs to fingerprint customers

Clubgoers in South Wales are to be fingerprinted, with the resulting biometric data to be retained indefinitely. The scheme is "voluntary" -- unless local councils make it a licensing condition for clubs. Gerry Shy notes, "The march to sleeping submission of our biometric data to anyone and everyone who can invent a security/convenience justification continues. So many familiar elements here: think of the convenience; we can change mindsets..."

Mr Newman, whose forum represents about 100 premises in the city, said the benefits of digital ID scheme were "many and varied".
In addition to identifying fake identify documents, information could be shared between venues about people who have been banned, he said.
He said: "Commercially, you benefit from a reduction in people trying to get in underage, if they are using someone else's ID.
"As word spreads, people will know they are easily identified if they are associated with an incident of disorder.
"If you have less trouble, that's good for business."

South Wales Police back fingerprinting for clubbers

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MORE: civil liberties • police state • privacy • wales

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Ashen Victor

Great… if club owners want drug dealers, drug addicts and general felons to stop going to clubs how do they pretend to have any business at all?
Guest

Wales has nightclubs? Seriously?
- http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby
  
  It’s probably got bloody loads of them, have you ever met any Welsh people?
  - Guest
    
    not THAT seriously
- Paul Renault
  
  Yes, all over Wales. Except maybe in Llandewi Breffi.
  
  Y’know, ‘cuz they’d only have one customer.
Guest

Granted, fingerprints ARE easier to read than Welsh.
ecobore

Why would anybody actually agree to do this!!!
http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

I never thought I’d ever say this, but it’s not a crazy idea. South Wales is pretty rough…

Jokes aside, this is crazy.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_G7SMCZJ7XB2D6JY7DOUCBMXOJM andy

Latex or a little dried crazy glue on each finger just enough to mess up the print.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Latex or a little dried crazy glue on each finger just enough to mess up the print.
  
  “He said the majority of customers were happy to have their fingerprints scanned and their photograph taken for easier access at a later date.”
BlackPanda

They tried forcing this on Yeovil a few years back, as a compulsory condition of maintaining a licence, but it fell flat on its face. http://www.no2id.net for more information.
mark

I’m not a big nightclub fan but if they start hassling people as much as they do at the airport won’t people just go elsewhere? This seems more like a foolishly arrogant business move than an oppressive big brother one.
cegev

The easiest way to ensure that no one underage or troublesome is allowed in a nightclub is to not allow anyone in the nightclub at all. Think of the security and convenience benefits!

It’s important that people realize this when discussing ways of keeping troublemakers out: the *most* secure and convenient way is completely impractical, so security and convenience can’t be the only considerations.
Textuality

As a resident of South Wales I’ll happily state that they can stick this plan where the sun doesn’t shine.

I’ll happily withhold my custom from any club making use of this system. Not that I generally tend to make much use of IDs these days. :)
Cowicide

Replace the doors with prison doors and put thick steel bars in the windows and have a prison guard that let’s you in and out of the pub. Also, keep everyone in handcuffs. You can certainly drink a beer with handcuffs on, so I don’t think there’s an issue with that really.

You… just… can’t… be… too… safe…
Tokay

Even worse in Perth, Western Australia: Fingerprints and photo ID req’d for entrance to a growing number of clubs and bars – with all data collected data instantly available to and stored by state police computer network. Also a requirement for all security cameras to be upgraded to resolutions capable of providing a clear ID from a small section of frame. “If you’re not planning anything criminal, you’ve got no need to be concerned.” Uh huh.