Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green, head of the Major Investigation Task Force, is urging the Jamaican Government to invest in higher-quality paper for its official documentation, as a deterrent to the high incidence of identity theft.

Green said criminals are making use of technological advancements to rob people of their identity and loads of money.

His comments come amid a Gleaner probe which found that the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) is struggling to deal with incidents of passport fraud.

Some 104 cases of fraudulent passport and other documents are been investigated by PICA, the agency told The Gleaner this week. More than 200 cases of passport fraud have been investigated by the agency in the last two years.

It is a major problem, Green said, while noting that Jamaica, like the rest of the world, has not been able to deal effectively with the illegal acquisition of peoples personal information for illicit pursuits.

He told The Gleaner yesterday that conquering the issue would require greater investment in technology.

The biggest issue is the standard of integrity regarding our official documents, such as the drivers licence, which is the main form of identification, Green said.

It is just about making sure that we purchase and utilise the highest-quality document that is harder to forge, he added.

Green said the police were facing a major problem with persons forging drivers licences. He said this has posed major challenges for the police, who are fighting to contain the problem by following up on reports and ensuring the issues are thoroughly investigated.

It is very difficult for the police because you have basic documents like a drivers licence which is being forged, then you dont know who you dealing with, so it is a real challenge, he lamented.

Meanwhile, Cecil Bailey, the deputy CEO at PICA, said the organisation was constantly looking at international best practices in its moves to curb the long-standing problem of passport fraud and identity theft.

There is a problem with identity theft, as a few persons will apply for passports with fraudulently obtained documents. A passport is one of the major documents that identity thieves target, he told The Gleaner.

Bailey said identity theft is often committed by persons who are close enough to have access to documents which can be used to apply for a passport. Therefore, persons should ensure that they safeguard their birth certificates, drivers licences and any other form of identification.

The agency currently faces challenges with persons obtaining passport by false means, making a false declaration, uttering forged document, forgery, possession of forged document, and aiding and abetting.

While not commenting in details about actions that the institution is taking to stem the current problem, Bailey has assured persons that PICA continues to implement measures to ensure the integrity of the Jamaican passport.

He has urged persons to make every effort to safeguard their passports and documents containing personal information.