If you are charged with a criminal offence that is by indictment or has the option to proceed by summary conviction or by indictment, you will be given a document which includes both a court date and a date for you to attend to the local police station for the purposes of identification and have your fingerprints taken. The jurisdiction for this is found in the Identification of Criminals Act, s. 2(1). If you are being held in custody for a bail hearing, your fingerprints will be taken as part of the booking in process.
When attending the fingerprinting date, you want to dress as plain and unassuming as possible. Identify yourself and advise why you have attended. Aside from that, you should not speak or answer any questions unless they are related to your identity. The reason for this is so that if it is the same officer who investigated you, they cannot make new assumptions about you from the offence date to now. This is very important in cases where impairment is being alleged. You do not want to give an officer the opportunity to say you sounded sober or clearer on your fingerprinting date that you did on the date of the offence. This is also not a time for you to discuss the case. LAWYER TOLD ME NOT TO TALK TO YOU. You should attend, give your fingerprints, and promptly leave.
If you are unable to make your fingerprint date, you or your lawyer need to arrange a new date to have your fingerprints taken. If you cannot make it to the detachment that is listed on your paperwork and there is one closer to you, you can also make arrangements to have them taken at a different detachment. If you do not attend to your fingerprint date, a fingerprint warrant will be issued, and you will need to attend the detachment to have them taken.
If you have questions regarding your fingerprinting date, contact us at 604-685-8889.