1. A method of analysis and comparison of fingerprint images, said method comprising: receiving a first fingerprint image from a fingerprint imaging device; creating a first set of data from the first fingerprint image; and comparing said data with a second set of data obtained from a second fingerprint image to establish a correspondence of relative positions of minutiae of said first and second fingerprints, and comparing numbers of each of one or more different types of minutiae within a prescribed area of each of said first and second fingerprint images, said first and second sets of data further comprising numbers of each of different types of minutiae lying within a constellation-type boundary defined by a plurality of minutiae of identical type and which encircle a core minutia, and said method further comprising: employing a scanning device to scan the fingerprint image and identify the plurality of minutiae in the fingerprint image; establishing the positions relative to one another of each of the minutiae of said plurality; providing a data store to store a set of data related to said relative positions of said minutiae; establishing the number of one or more types of minutiae of a first group of minutiae types present within said plurality; establishing the number of minutiae of one or more types of minutiae of a second group comprising other types of minutiae; storing in said data store data a set of data relating to the number of minutiae of one or more different types from the first group and from the second group; and then comparing said sets of data stored in said data store concerning the relative positions and numbers of different minutiae with data obtained in a similar manner from another fingerprint image thereby to establish whether two fingerprints are identical.