Security: Benin equips its law enforcement with an automated fingerprint identification system
On September 30, 2025, the Ministers of Justice and Interior, Yvon Détchénou and Alassane Séidou, officially launched the Automated Fingerprint and Palmprint Identification System (AFIS) at the headquarters of the Republican Police.
This initiative marks an important step forward in strengthening the country’s security apparatus and criminal justice system.
The system makes it possible to quickly identify perpetrators of offenses from traces collected during investigations, and to link records together.
It is part of the West African Police Information System (SIPAO), whose additional act allowing the implementation of this regional platform was approved on June 22, 2025 in Abuja.
According to Brice Allowanou, Director General of the Republican Police, AFIS will not only be used to identify suspects but also to strengthen evidence before the courts, thereby increasing the reliability of police investigations.
For his part, the Minister of Justice emphasized that this system demonstrates the effective attachment of the judicial police to the judiciary, with the aim of improving coherence, accountability and the efficiency of the criminal justice process.
The European Union financed the technical equipment for the forensic police’s technical platform, while Interpol provided the expertise necessary to implement the system’s technical component.
The ECOWAS resident representative in Benin hailed the system as a concrete achievement of the regional security program, noting that AFIS addresses major challenges in combating crime, terrorism and organized crime.
This measure comes at a time when public expectations for swift and transparent justice are high. By improving the traceability of offenses and making it easier to identify perpetrators, Benin is committed to making its investigations more effective and its judicial decisions more credible.
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