September 7, 2010
ESR is ready to process additional DNA samples per year as a result of legislative changes which came into force this week.
The Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Act 2009 allows police to collect DNA from people they intend to charge and to match it against samples from unsolved crimes, and to take DNA samples at the time they take fingerprints. Initial implementation allows a sample to be taken when police intend to charge a person with an offence defined in the Act. The act was expanded to include minor offences that have a link to more serious offending, and offences where DNA is often left at the scene. A copy of the act is available here
ESR's DNA laboratory is ready to process the expected 4,000 - 6,000 additional samples a year from the amended legislation. Up to now about 12,000 individual samples have been processed annually. New robots have been installed for DNA extraction, and software systems have been upgraded to allow for changes in the legislation. ESR has also worked closely with police to streamline sample submission processes.
ESR and the New Zealand Police comply with all requirements of the CI(BS) Act in fill in order to maintain the integrity of the DNA Databank as a forensic investigative tool. The Act is designed with a strong focus on the rights of the individual, and places rigorous requirements on the police as investigators and collectors of samples, and also on ESR as custodians of the databank.
Security
ESR has strict protocols in regard to management of the National DNA databank and takes its custodial role very seriously. The databank system is on a separate dedicated secure system that is physically isolated and contains a number of security features. External parties, including the New Zealand Police, cannot access any information on the database Access by ESR staff is extremely limited, physically and by system security features, to only those working with the forensic DNA facility.
DNA Databank
ESR manages and oversees the criminal National DNA Databank. It consists of two databases, the National DNA Database, which holds DNA profiles from individuals, and the Crime Sample Database, which holds DNA profiles from unsolved crimes. Matches or links are made between the two.
The 100,000th individual profile was loaded to the National DNA Database in September 2009. At year end (June 30, 2010) there were more than 109,400 individual profiles on this database. The Crime Scene Database currently holds more than 24,000 DNA profiles from samples found at crime scenes
Most individual samples come from buccal scrapes (taken from inside the mouth).
Once a DNA profile has been taken, the sample is destroyed and only the profile is retained.
The profile is a string of numbers stored on the databank.
The only genetic information that can be taken from this profile is gender.
The DNA databank link is used for intelligence and investigation, and the link is not directly admissible in court.
A booklet on the history of forensic DNA in NZ was produced this year for the 20th anniversary of forensic DNA is available here