Cape Town – Parliament is pulling out all the stops to ensure that South Africa will soon have its first national DNA data base, a resource that, while not seen as a golden bullet, will improve conviction rates and reduce crime.
On Tuesday, following a presentation by the South African Police Service, the Police Portfolio Committee resolved that it would hold public hearings on a proposed DNA Bill next week. These hearings would be followed by deliberations which could result in the committee having a new Bill ready to be put before the National Assembly by the time Parliament closes for the winter recess on 21 June 2013.
DNA is evidence left behind at crime scenes, and which, when collected by specially trained personnel, may enable police to identify perpetrators. DNA swabs can also be collected from the side of a suspect’s cheek and be tested against crime scene forensic evidence.
Due to DNA evidence, suspects can also be connected to past crimes. Up to now, South Africa does not have a law enabling police to collect DNA samples, nor a National Forensic Data Base, or police officers trained in the collection of DNA.
The planned data base will be maintained by the officer commanding the SAPS forensic services. It’s planned that the data base will have five indices: crime scene, arrestee, elimination, offenders, and volunteer.
The envisaged law will bring about a radical transformation in evidence gathering. Police will be able to match the DNA of prisoners convicted of crime with DNA samples gathered at other crime scenes to see if they match. If they do, these prisoners will be charged in new trials with the DNA-linked crimes.
Police also plan to use DNA to vet their own members thereby ensuring that members who had taken part in criminal activities and left behind DNA evidence were prosecuted.
Committee chairperson Annelize van Wyk said in an interview that the Bill was first introduced in 2009, but it never went the full passage required to come into law. The present Bill before the committee was thus a new one.
Van Wyk said: “With so many unsolved crimes, as well as high crime rates once this Bill becomes law will make a difference. This is not a golden bullet because one can’t solve crime by DNA alone. But it will improve conviction rates.”
Yesterday, a SAPS delegation, led by the head of Quality Management Major-General A Shezi, and which included the Divisional Commissioner Forensic Services, Lieutenant- General Phahlane, told the committee the new DNA would be located in Gauteng.
While no exact price tag could be given, the SAPS said the forensics building in Plattekloof, Cape Town, carried a bill of R600 million.
Police was optimistic that the new technology and evidence-gathering methods which would come into force once the Bill was approved by Parliament and signed into law by President Jacob Zuma would also help them to get convictions against people who had committed multiple crimes. – SAnews.gov.za
