NCJ Number
174406
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal Volume: 31 Issue: 2 Dated: June 1998 Pages: 113-125
Date Published
1998
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The United Kingdom is moving toward the banking of DNA evidence for forensic purposes, and DNA banks already in operation have had significant success in terms of linking crimes and finding suspects.
Abstract
The National DNA Database came online in the United Kingdom in April 1995. As of May 1997, 151,361 offender profiles and 14,478 crime scenes were stored in the database. Since then, a total of 6,032 identifications have occurred (4,461 offender to scene and 1,571 scene to scene). Although the United Kingdom's Criminal Justice and Public Order Act allows DNA samples to be taken for all recordable offenses, police agencies primarily target three offense categories: offenses against the person, sex offenses, and burglaries. DNA banks have proven to be an invaluable investigative tool for some of the more serious offenses. Scientific and constitutional aspects of DNA evidence and the establishment of a forensic DNA evidence bank in Canada are discussed. 71 footnotes