Report - Guardian

76 The LSE Identity Project Report: June 2005One notable case involved an elderly woman who used a pair of nail scissors to cutsome twigs in nearby woods. Cutting twigs is forbidden, and she was spotted by aforester, who demanded her ID. Because she could not produce it, she received twofines; one for cutting the twigs, one for not showing ID. She burst out in rage and wasgiven a third fine: for insulting an officer in the course of his duty. 182Within the first 24 hours of operation of the new Act, the city of Rotterdam issued 20fines. In the first month 3,300 fines were issued to those who could not immediatelyshow a valid ID when asked. During the following two months, the average rose to5,300 individuals per month fined for being unable to produce their ID. After threemonths in operation, 15,984 fines had been applied, generating EUR800,000 inrevenues for the Government. 183The law will be evaluated in 2008, at which point the police and all those with the samepower to demand ID, such as park-wardens and environment control staff, will beconsulted. There will be no consideration of the effect of the law on crime or terrorism.According to the Minister of Justice:“the law is part of a quantity of measures to enhance security in NLand reduction of crime and nuisance. The question if criminality andnuisance are reduced exclusively because of the law thus cannot beanswered.” 184There are indications that the police are not happy with the new law because it increasesthe amount of reporting that they must perform. They are also frustrated that theyalways have to find justification for stopping individuals.SpainSpanish ID cards were first introduced by General Franco, with the primary motive ofcontrolling the populace. The primary motive now is to control illegal immigration. 185Application for the card requires a fingerprint. This is not on the card itself, althoughSpain is trialling a new card that would include it.In 2003 it was reported that the Spanish were also trialling a social security smart card,containing a microchip with national identity number, medical information, andfingerprint access. Information on the chip could be accessed by health professionalsusing their own chips and a special reader. The project to develop and distribute 8million cards was originally costed at EUR55 million.182 'Identificatieklucht', De Volkskrant, 15 January 2005.183 'Al bijna acht ton boetes id-plicht', Het Parool, April 13, 2005, available athttp://www.depolitiebonden.nl/Nieuwsberichten/april2005/130405IDplicht.htm.184 Translated from ‘De Wet op de uitgebreide identificatieplicht maakt deel uit van een veelheid aan maatregelen terbevordering van de veiligheid in Nederland, en het verminderen van criminaliteit en overlast. De vraag ofcriminaliteit en overlast afnemen exclusief als gevolg van de Wet op de identificatieplicht kan derhalve niet wordenbeantwoord.’ From Antwoorden op vragen van de Vaste Commissie van Justitie over de opzet van hetevaluatieonderzoek naar de Wet op de uitgebreide identificatieplicht, April 28, 2005, available athttp://www.justitie.nl/pers/kamerstukken/include.asp?bestand=/extern/documentportal/Brieven%20TK/20050428_5348798b%20uitgebreide%20identificatieplicht.doc.c185 ‘A National Identity Card for Canada?’, Report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration,October 2003.