Who first used fingerprints as a means of identification?

It is generally acknowledged that Francis Galton (1822–1911) was the first to classify fingerprints. However, his basic ideas were further developed by Sir Edward Henry (1850–1931), who devised a system based on the pattern of the thumb print. In 1901 in England, Henry established the first fingerprint bureau with Scotland Yard called the Fingerprint Branch. Today, the number of fingerprints in FBI files is 252 million, compared to 810,000 in 1924.