Should we have DNA testing for all?

[Kryten 10]

to a great degree i think a dna data base would be a great help in solving many crimes. The thing that bothers me is the incompetent politcians that will have control of the system, and how good the system will be. In view of the millenium dome, wembley and the nhs computer fiasco it will end up a complete farce. It will turn out to be yet another expensive drain on the average tax payer, where once again costs will spirall way above the original proposals. Also what about the thousands upon thousands of illegals that are already in the country, then all the religious groups opting out. Dont worry about it the whitehall idiots will never sort it out no matter which party is in power. All the while the true criminals will be laughing their b******s off and hiding behind the human rights act.

[StarSparkle 10]

What if you say ... you sell a coat on ebay or carboot .. that coat the goes to someones house where they put it down on the settee .. one of your hairs (only one as thats all there is on the coat) comes off onto settee ... next day the house is burgled and the police find your one hair .. this puts you in the frame ... DNA should only be used in very strong cases of DNA found IMO ...

 

Col.

 

Excellent, if very frightening, point...

 

StarSparkle

[AtticusFinch 10]

What if you say ... you sell a coat on ebay or carboot .. that coat the goes to someones house where they put it down on the settee .. one of your hairs (only one as thats all there is on the coat) comes off onto settee ... next day the house is burgled and the police find your one hair .. this puts you in the frame ... DNA should only be used in very strong cases of DNA found IMO ...

 

Col.

 

It is scary stuff. In the Panorama episode they highlighted the case of the Parkinsons sufferer who'd been matched by his DNA to a burglary in Bolton. He'd never been to Bolton before and protested his innocence when the police arrested him for the burglary.

 

The DNA crime scene sample was double-checked and it still matched his sample, proving that false positives can occur. The reason he was released was that it was obvious he couldn't have committed the burglary due to his Parkinsons condition, despite him still being under investigation for four months. The loud protests of his lawyer eventually got him off the hook.

 

Now imagine if the DNA sample had matched to an able-bodied person who hadn't committed the burglary. Let's say this person didn't have an alibi for the night of the burglary, and owned his own car so could travel to anywhere in the country. It wouldn't be obvious that this person hadn't done it, despite how loudly he protested. If a Parkinsons sufferer had to wait four months before charges were dropped, what chance would this guy have?

 

"I didn't do it"

"But the DNA matches"

"But I've never been to Bolton"

"The DNA matches"

"It must be a mistake"

"DNA doesn't make mistakes"

"I swear I didn't do it"

"Heard that one plenty of times before Sir"

[Magilla 510]

"Heard that one plenty of times before Sir"

 

Quite, the police are not well known for rectifying their mistakes without a fight (off topic, but an interesting insight):-

 

http://gizmonaut.net/bits/suspect.html

[Grissom 10]

Other than crime solving, the best thing about a DNA database is its ability to help identify those that are incapacitated or killed and there is no ID on them. Take for example 9/11 - they had to go get familys DNA and try to match up to pulverised remains. If they had the deceased persons info on a database beforehand they could narrow the options a lot without having to stress families more. Its also useful when people are in a coma or whatever and cant talk - when immigrants start getting their Biometric Resident Permits (bit similar to an ID card) soon, it will help work out who some of the people are that turn up on the streets dead etc. Something similar for us when we go abroad would be good, and also for those that die namelessly here...

[StarSparkle 10]

Other than crime solving, the best thing about a DNA database is its ability to help identify those that are incapacitated or killed and there is no ID on them. Take for example 9/11 - they had to go get familys DNA and try to match up to pulverised remains. If they had the deceased persons info on a database beforehand they could narrow the options a lot without having to stress families more. Its also useful when people are in a coma or whatever and cant talk - when immigrants start getting their Biometric Resident Permits (bit similar to an ID card) soon, it will help work out who some of the people are that turn up on the streets dead etc. Something similar for us when we go abroad would be good, and also for those that die namelessly here...

 

That's all very well and laudable - but it's not worth sacrificing all our freedoms and liberties for.

 

StarSparkle