ID card checks not thorough
Jeremy Newton's letter about somebody having used his vote during the district council elections ('Someone else voted in my place', December 9) just confirms my own observations over many years that many officials charged with checking a person's identity fall down on the job.
This applies equally in government offices or those of lawyers, clinics or banks.
The frontline staff are beholden only to the number on the identity card and nothing else. So long as they get that ID number written down, they feel they have no responsibility to actually look at the photograph on a card and compare it with the person presenting the card as well as double-checking their name.
Herein lies the problem because, with an eight- or nine-digit card number, it is fairly common for people to make mistakes with the recording of numbers.
If they combined this task with asking the person to state his or her name clearly, and also comparing the photographs, there would be far fewer identification mistakes. Failing to check the photograph in fact defeats the whole object of having an identity card, but tell that to the office managers and all you get is a blank stare.
The only times I have actually witnessed officers comparing the photographs on ID cards are at Immigration Department entry and departure points.
