Parliament Debates Landmark DNA Legislation

Could a strand of hair or a drop of blood become the key to justice? Last Friday, the House of Representatives unveiled a new DNA Bill that could transform how crimes are investigated and prosecuted. If passed, the law would give police the power to collect forensic DNA samples from anyone suspected of an indictable offence and store those profiles in a national database alongside those of convicted criminals and crime scene evidence. Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa introduced the new bill in parliament on October seventeenth.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“Just about five years ago, our administration committed to enhancing our country’s criminal investigative capacity through reliance on technology and innovation and in particular forensic DNA analysis. The laws do not currently include any specific legislation to govern the collection and use of DNA samples in criminal investigation and in the identification of human remains nor to govern the establishment and use of a national DNA database, which can be a useful tool. The introduction of a DNA is timely to establish a database and to facilitate the collection and use of DNA samples in the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences and in the investigation of missing person cases and unidentified human remains. This bill aims to achieve the following improvements to our criminal justice system as part of the wider efforts , to establish and operate a national DNA database in a manner that respects a person’s bodily integrity, privacy and dignity and that is consistent with human rights under the constitution.”