Dna Storage

The creation of a database of DNA would allow police to use DNA in order to search for a suspect, rather than to provide evidence once a suspect has been apprehended. The proposition in this debate may choose at their discretion the section of the population whose DNA would be kept on the database. A DNA database is not intended to replace conventional criminal investigation. The database ought to identify the potential suspects, each of whom can then be investigated by more conventional means. There is no possibility of escaping the provision of technical evidence before a court.

The creation of a DNA database would not require a disproportionate investment of time or public resources. The requisite computer and laboratory technology is already available. The United States has developed the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).The expense of sampling the entire population of most countries would be substantial. It is unlikely to be offset by any subsequent saving in police resources. Yet the issue is properly the price that we should put on justice. The electoral rhetoric of ‘law and order’ suggests that the public puts a very high premium on protection from crime. The use of a DNA fingerprint can scarcely be regarded as an affront to civil liberties. The procedure for taking a sample of DNA is less invasive than that required for the removal of blood. The police already possess a vast volume of information relating to the citizenry.

The most serious violent crimes, notably the offences of rape and murder, are most commonly committed by individuals known to the victim. When the suspects for the commission of a crime are obvious, DNA detection is superfluous. Moreover, it is invidious to propagate the belief in the public that crimes can be solved, or criminals deterred, by computer wizardry. Unless the DNA is used to identify a genetic cause for aggression, violent crimes will continue to be committed