DNA fails to catch crims

The Territory’s war on crime is being hampered by large numbers of suspects beating DNA evidence, it has been revealed.

DNA-based Genesweep operations have been credited by police for taking hundreds of career criminals off the streets.

But the Northern Territory News has learned that only a small number of them have been prosecuted successfully.

A senior police source said last night many of the police prosecutions prompted by Genesweep were flawed because they relied entirely on DNA evidence for a conviction.

“DNA was never meant to be the be-all and end-all,” the source said.

“It is circumstantial evidence and has to be collaborated with other evidence gathered through investigation.

“And that’s what the Director of Public Prosecutions says every time they throw another one of the Genesweep arrests back at us. What we’re going to them with is just not enough.”

There have been four Genesweep operations run in the Territory, starting from August 2002.

In all, there have been 106 arrests for 362 offences.

Police said they did not keep figures of the numbers of successful Genesweep prosecutions.

Genesweep is a Territory-wide operation focusing on identifying property thieves through the analysis of fingerprint and DNA evidence.

It has led to apprehensions for crines against the person – including one arrest for a sexual assault.

Genesweep has been held up as an example of forensic-led policing for other jurisdictions to follow.

“It’s all very well to use Genesweep to prove that it’s highly likely that a person was there, but you can’t use it to say they were definitely there and definitely did it without something else to back you up,” the source said.

“If you find my DNA on a packet of cigarettes in a house that was broken into, that doesn’t mean I was there.

“All it shows is that I came into contact with that packet of cigarettes at some point.

“To prove more, you’d need statements from witnesses to say they saw me in the area or have found property from that house in my possession.”

Newshawk: Stuart Highway
Pubdate: 19th April 2004
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Edith Bevin
Copyright: 2004 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/