Senior judge calls for DNA database

UK: A senior appeal court judge noted as an upholder of civil liberties called for a national DNA database recording everyone living in or entering the country.

The present police database can keep samples from everyone who has been arrested, whether or not a charge or conviction follows.

"This has the unfortunate effect of putting the innocent on a par with the guilty," Sir Stephen Sedley said in a lecture at Leicester University.

"It draws a not very logical line between innocent people who have and have not passed through the hands of the police.

The law lords were told in a recent case that of more than 130,000 retained DNA profiles of unconvicted people, about 6,000 had been subsequently linked to samples found at scenes of crimes.

They included 86 murders or attempted murders and 94 rapes. The burglary clear-up rate almost quadrupled when DNA was found at the crime scene, Sir Stephen added.

Use of the DNA data would have to be restricted, as now, to the purposes of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting crime, he said.

But there was a parallel case, he added, for a separate national DNA register, insulated from the policing function, and maintained for benign purposes, such as identifying disaster victims, tracing lost or abducted children, and perhaps one day for making medical prognoses.

The human rights group Liberty said: "We can't see any case for a national DNA database. Serious crime in Britain is the preserve of about 100,000 people."

By Clare Dyer and Just Us posted 29 November 04

Related:

Criminal's DNA filed under relative's name
The New South Wales Opposition is calling for an investigation into claims that police have entered DNA data for serious offenders under incorrect names.

DNA fingerprinting 'no longer foolproof'...
The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA fingerprinting.

THE BUTLER DIDN'T DO IT!
PROFESSOR BARRY BOETTCHER: Now, there should be a law enacted within Queensland so that when cases come up like this they can be brought to attention and if an appropriate authority such as a judge of your Supreme Court considers that it merits further inquiry, an inquiry be ordered.

'Rape' officer clears his name
UK: A former policeman has been cleared of rape after protesting his innocence for 15 years. Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled that Brian Kelly, 47, had suffered a miscarriage of justice over crucial DNA evidence.

New unit investigates unsolved deaths?
A new police unit has been established to investigate more than 360 unsolved deaths in New South Wales, with many of the deaths dating back more than 30 years.

Prisoner's bid for review denied
Prisoner Roger Cheney has lost a Supreme Court action to have a judicial review of his 1993 convictions an 30-year jail sentence. Justice Shaw said he was concerned about the prisoner's claim that DNA evidence held by the police could prove his innocence. Although Cheney had requested the results of the DNA tests, he had been denied access to the forensic analysis.

QLD Prisoners DNA Bid THE curious case of Queensland's "cat lady" murder is set to test the state's legal authorities again, with the man convicted of the killing asking the Attorney-General to take the unprecedented step of releasing blood samples for DNA retesting.

Database clears up crimes?
NSW Police Minister John Watkins said at the launch of a Sydney conference of international forensic experts meeting to mark 100 years of fingerprinting in NSW. He said the collection of DNA from prisoners and suspects in NSW during the past two years had led to more than 5,400 matches on the forensic database.

A Question of Innocence
Katrina Bolton: The promise of DNA freeing the innocent as well as convicting the guilty has been repeated by politicians across Australia, usually while DNA laws are being expanded. The promise was made as a national DNA database, ‘Crimtrac’ was created, and it was made as NSW introduced legislation giving unprecedented powers to take DNA samples from prisoners, by force if necessary.

Weak Carr Government suspends Innocence Panel
It's a callous disregard for justice! The panel takes applications from convicted prisoners for DNA evidence to be analysed a move that may help in a future court appeal.

JUST BEAT IT! Govt lauds crime-solving technology?
The New South Wales Government says advances in crime solving technology are helping the progress of hundreds of police investigations.

DNA testing causes debate in murder case
The use of voluntary DNA testing in the investigation of a murder case in New South Wales has been applauded by victim support groups who are ill informed about the process said Justice Action's spokesperson Gregory Kable.

Abolition of double jeopardy law a political stunt: NSW Opp
Why draconian laws? What about the re-trial by media that goes along with it? Twice shy?

ARE YOU INNOCENT?
The NSW government has finally appointed somebody (Justice John Nader) to head up its Innocence Panel and has produced leaflets and forms for people convicted of serious crimes (eg murder) to apply for DNA testing if they believe it may help prove their innocence. You can get the info by phoning 1300 881 717 or writing to the panel at GPO Box 45 Sydney NSW 2001.

Is the Westminster System flawed?
Most people would say Lady Di got the boot and NSW has so much trouble getting the Innocence Panel moving. I said hey, what's going on!

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder Mass DNA testing of prisoners has led to the first NSW case of a person being charged with a previously unsolved murder as a result of a controversial gene-matching data bank. The Herald reported 25 Nov 02 "a DNA saliva swab led to the charging of a former prisoner with the bashing murder of a woman. Police had been unable to find any witnesses or suspects following the murder in Sydney's inner city two years ago. Detectives had admitted they faced a tough job finding the killer."

Prisoners can prove innocence for $20
Les Kennedy Daily Telegraph reported today that" Prisoners who believe that DNA will prove they were wrongly convicted will have the chance to prove their innocence for a mere $20 administration fee. The move comes 20 months after NSW inmates were asked to provide DNA for comparison with a databank of DNA from unsolved crime scenes for possible convictions.

DNA yours or mine?
Now they have isolated two genes that they say tells you if you're more likely to be depressed. What does that mean? It could mean that you should stay in jail because you are more likely than not to continue your offending behaviour according to a Department of Corrective Services Forensic Psychiatrist.

DNA = Do Not Assume - DNA Controversies!
The national DNA database of all known offenders proposed by Prime Minister Tony Blair could mean that innocent people will be accused of crimes they did not commit.

DNA Evidence of Bipartisanship
Last week the U.S. Congress passed the Justice for All Act, which includes provisions of the Innocence Protection Act. As of this posting, the legislation has not yet been signed by President Bush. Attached is an analysis of the legislation prepared by the Justice Project.

Here come de Judge - Time to Leave [266]
There have always been examples of rulings and interpretations that have supported the saying "The law is an ass". This is increasingly the case, because even the best intentioned judges are now facing an avalanche of new technologies and social change. But, it is no good making excuses for the judiciary and continuing to accept their strange interpretations. We must recognise that not only judges but the whole legal system will struggle more and more. In the end the whole system will become a farce. This is the way empires end.

2nd Renaissance -15 The Rabbits And The Wolves [180]
Historically, there have been periods when legal distinctions between animals and humans have been blurred. For instance, in medieval Europe, in the 14th and 15th centuries, numerous trials and executions of animals occurred. One source identifies 34 recorded instances of pigs having been tried and cruelly put to death. Besides pigs; rats, chickens, goats, and bees were similarly tried. Some of the pigs were fully dressed in human clothes at the time they were, inevitably, found guilty. In one case a vicar excommunicated a flock of sparrows that infested his church. All this happened despite the theological stance that animals had no soul, and no morals or conscience. They could not really be guilty of transgressing the Rule of Law.

Criminal's DNA filed under relative's name

The New South Wales Opposition is calling for an investigation into claims that police have entered DNA data for serious offenders under incorrect names.

The New South Wales ombudsman has carried out an audit of DNA samples taken from more than 100 serious offenders and found errors in a number of cases.

The discrepancies are between records held by police and those held by a laboratory contracted to maintain the state's DNA database.

In one case, information was entered under the name of an offender's relative.

Opposition police spokesman Peter Debnam says the matter must be investigated.

"DNA is so important in police work, so important in law enforcement, [that] we've got to make sure the processes and recording are absolutely perfect," he said.

New South Wales Police Minister John Watkins has defended the methods police use to record DNA data.

Mr Watkins says an internal audit is under way following the report.

"We've already changed procedures to deal with some of those recommendations and the ombudsman's other recommendations are being considered by an inter-departmental working group chaired by the Attorney-General," he said.

Mr Watkins says some of the errors occurred because of bad handwriting and some prisoners using false names.

Another ombudsman's report is due to be released next year?

Can't wait?

What happened to THE INNOCENCE PANEL?

By DNA posted 15 November 04

Related:

DNA fingerprinting 'no longer foolproof'...
The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA fingerprinting.

Military lawyers await probe on DNA tampering
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Expert baffled by Falconio evidence DNA contamination
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Corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes
Others have raised concerns about corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes.

The ABC for good or evil?
He had a suspect that he wanted to find guilty based on the chances of a spouse killing a spouse which were greater in anycase, at least more likely than that of a stranger.

First Grabs To Control Our DNA
A small company in Australia has been subjected to gross denials of rights after DNA database technology was stolen from it's company. This one year saga has spawned them to form a new approach to projects of importance to all people.

Worries over DNA and racial profiling
UK: Black men are four times more likely than White men to be on the national DNA database and there is growing concern about racial profiling in criminal investigations.

Lab's Errors Force Review of 150 Virginia DNA Cases
US: WASHINGTON, - A sharply critical independent audit found that Virginia's nationally recognized central crime laboratory had botched DNA tests in a leading capital murder case. The findings prompted Gov. Mark Warner to order a review of the lab's handling of testing in 150 other cases as well.

Witch-hunt targets scientists
QLD: SCIENTISTS at the John Tonge Centre are being threatened with jail in the wake of a government hunt for the source of leaks highlighting serious problems in the forensic laboratories.

Fresh swipe at DNA labs
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DNA leads 'CSI' cold-case squad to first arrest?
Frozen case? I don't really know what to say about them until they come up with their case. They say it involves DNA evidence but that's the only stuff we know.

Criminal's DNA filed under relative's name
The New South Wales Opposition is calling for an investigation into claims that police have entered DNA data for serious offenders under incorrect names.

DNA Evidence of Bipartisanship
Last week the U.S. Congress passed the Justice for All Act, which includes provisions of the Innocence Protection Act. As of this posting, the legislation has not yet been signed by President Bush. Attached is an analysis of the legislation prepared by the Justice Project.

DNA fingerprinting 'no longer foolproof'...
The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA fingerprinting.

THE BUTLER DIDN'T DO IT!
PROFESSOR BARRY BOETTCHER: Now, there should be a law enacted within Queensland so that when cases come up like this they can be brought to attention and if an appropriate authority such as a judge of your Supreme Court considers that it merits further inquiry, an inquiry be ordered.

'Rape' officer clears his name
UK: A former policeman has been cleared of rape after protesting his innocence for 15 years. Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled that Brian Kelly, 47, had suffered a miscarriage of justice over crucial DNA evidence.

New unit investigates unsolved deaths?
A new police unit has been established to investigate more than 360 unsolved deaths in New South Wales, with many of the deaths dating back more than 30 years.

Death Penalty Forensics?
In proposing a new death penalty for Massachusetts last month, Governor Mitt Romney offered firm assurance that no innocent people would be executed: Convictions, he said, will be based on science.

Prisoner's bid for review denied
Prisoner Roger Cheney has lost a Supreme Court action to have a judicial review of his 1993 convictions an 30-year jail sentence. Justice Shaw said he was concerned about the prisoner's claim that DNA evidence held by the police could prove his innocence. Although Cheney had requested the results of the DNA tests, he had been denied access to the forensic analysis.

QLD Prisoners DNA Bid THE curious case of Queensland's "cat lady" murder is set to test the state's legal authorities again, with the man convicted of the killing asking the Attorney-General to take the unprecedented step of releasing blood samples for DNA retesting.

Database clears up crimes?
NSW Police Minister John Watkins said at the launch of a Sydney conference of international forensic experts meeting to mark 100 years of fingerprinting in NSW. He said the collection of DNA from prisoners and suspects in NSW during the past two years had led to more than 5,400 matches on the forensic database.

A Question of Innocence
Katrina Bolton: The promise of DNA freeing the innocent as well as convicting the guilty has been repeated by politicians across Australia, usually while DNA laws are being expanded. The promise was made as a national DNA database, ‘Crimtrac’ was created, and it was made as NSW introduced legislation giving unprecedented powers to take DNA samples from prisoners, by force if necessary.

Mouse Trap Game? Tried Until Guilty!
Two New South Wales Labor MPs have strongly criticised the Carr Government's proposed abolition of the 800 year old double jeopardy rule, which stops people being tried a second time for the same crime. The left-wing MPs have branded the reforms as dishonest and unjust in a formal submission to the Attorney-General's department.

Weak Carr Government suspends Innocence Panel
It's a callous disregard for justice! The panel takes applications from convicted prisoners for DNA evidence to be analysed a move that may help in a future court appeal.

JUST BEAT IT! Govt lauds crime-solving technology?
The New South Wales Government says advances in crime solving technology are helping the progress of hundreds of police investigations.

DNA yours or mine?
Now they have isolated two genes that they say tells you if you're more likely to be depressed. What does that mean? It could mean that you should stay in jail because you are more likely than not to continue your offending behaviour according to a Department of Corrective Services Forensic Psychiatrist.

DNA testing causes debate in murder case
The use of voluntary DNA testing in the investigation of a murder case in New South Wales has been applauded by victim support groups who are ill informed about the process said Justice Action's spokesperson Gregory Kable.

Abolition of double jeopardy law a political stunt: NSW Opp
Why draconian laws? What about the re-trial by media that goes along with it? Twice shy?

ARE YOU INNOCENT?
The NSW government has finally appointed somebody (Justice John Nader) to head up its Innocence Panel and has produced leaflets and forms for people convicted of serious crimes (eg murder) to apply for DNA testing if they believe it may help prove their innocence. You can get the info by phoning 1300 881 717 or writing to the panel at GPO Box 45 Sydney NSW 2001.

Prisoners can prove innocence for $20
Les Kennedy Daily Telegraph reported today that" Prisoners who believe that DNA will prove they were wrongly convicted will have the chance to prove their innocence for a mere $20 administration fee. The move comes 20 months after NSW inmates were asked to provide DNA for comparison with a databank of DNA from unsolved crime scenes for possible convictions.

DNA = Do Not Assume - DNA Controversies!
The national DNA database of all known offenders proposed by Prime Minister Tony Blair could mean that innocent people will be accused of crimes they did not commit.

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder As long as the the prisoners DNA wasn't planted at the crime scene. It is one thing to force prisoners to hand over their DNA and another thing to exploit it.

DNA - A Shadow of Doubt
One case points to misinterpretation of evidence that helped put a man behind bars. The other shows just how easy it is to plant falsely incriminating DNA evidence. As our forensic techniques become ever more sensitive, so the possibility of abuse continues to grow.

Forget the tests, bottles are for holding the wine

NZ: Restaurateurs don't have the best of reputations when it comes to staff relations, and plans to humiliate employees by making them pee in a bottle to check for drug use are hardly going to improve things.

At the very least I would have expected one of the bosses to have set an example and volunteered to go first. After all, the last story I read involving the evils of drugs in restaurants concerned not a lowly wait-person, but top Auckland restaurateur Philip Sturm's appeal against his conviction for stupefying young male customers with drugs, then having his evil way with them.

Of course there's something richly ironic about the Restaurant Association chief executive, Neville Waldren, who represents purveyors of dangerous drugs like alcohol and tobacco, coming on all sanctimonious because the hired help might get their jollies in other ways.

No doubt there is a nationwide problem with the drug P (methamphetamine). But claiming the answer is to test the urine of all hospitality workers is about as daft as America's decision to finger-print transit passengers like New Zealand MP Keith Locke at Los Angeles Airport to stop terrorists flying planes into the sides of New York buildings.

What is happening is another attempt by Big Brother to pry into our private lives. It should be nipped in the bud. A good start would be a customer boycott of any restaurant that tries to introduce it.

Questions also need to be asked about the touting for business by the Government-owned Institute of Environmental Science and Research, which provided the alarmist statistics being used by Mr Waldren to justify the testing, and is to be the testing agency.

Where ESR gets the figure that 40 per cent of the workforce has tried illegal drugs at least once over the past 12 months is anyone's guess.

It's perhaps worth recalling that a year ago, an ESR scientist told the Employment Court considering Air New Zealand's plan to drug test workers that drugs were found in 22 per cent of urine samples of randomly selected workers at 50 firms over two years.

A few days later, she said the true figure was only 9 per cent. For all I know, ESR has sales staff on the road knocking at every industry in the Yellow Pages with its scaremongery. They might even be with my editor as I write this, trying to convince him of the dangers of substance-crazed columnists in charge of keyboards.

In times past, I've worked on papers when, on occasion, several of the news staff would have failed a snap breathalyser test, and a damn fine product we turned out too. These days, a test on me would find nothing more incriminating than the remnants of the previous night's medicinal red wine or three.

But they wouldn't, because I would refuse to take the test. Perhaps if I drove a jumbo jet or a Stagecoach bus, I could accept the safety rationale behind random drug testing.

But driving a desk, as I do, or pouring a glass of wine, as hospitality staff do, then forget it. What's in my urine is my business, not my boss's and certainly not that of Big Brother ESR, which also maintains the police DNA databases.

I'm in good company. In essence, my stand is what the Employment Court ruled this year in the Air New Zealand case. Random drug testing of employees was unacceptable except in "safety sensitive" situations.

It's not as though the testing is very accurate in tracking down the drug users. Alcohol disappears from the system within 24 hours. P, cocaine and LSD last from one to five days. Marijuana, the most benign of the drugs, lingers longest, up to 10 days for casual users and up to four weeks for regulars.

ESR would be a more useful public servant if, instead of touting miracle cures, it concentrated on its crime fighting activities.

We read of drug trials being delayed for months because ESR hasn't the staff to analyse the evidence. That's what they should be doing, not holding bottles for waiters to pee into.

By Brian Rudman posted 14 October 04

Related:

The drugs industry and its watchdog: a relationship too close for comfort? It would appear to be a happy and satisfying relationship. "Our priorities are aligned," says one document. There have been "notable successes" says another, citing "another example" of where the two sides "cooperated well". In business partners, this would seem to indicate a harmony of views. The documents obtained however, relate to meetings between the drug industry and the watchdog body set up by government to police it.

Drugs licensing flaws exposed
Special report: Pfizer advised on how to get antidepressant approved by member of body deciding on application.

Big Pharma snared by net
What if ants could turn the microscopes on the scientists studying them and, after beady-eyed surveillance, demand a revolution in their scrutinisers' accustomed ways?

Prozac must have suicide warning
All antidepressant drugs must carry the strongest possible public warning that they could cause children to harm themselves or commit suicide, US authorities said yesterday in a landmark ruling which has repercussions for the whole class of drugs.

Aspartame, medication and prison mental health
Justice Health and Corrective Services under 'Duty of Care' provide a lethal cocktail to its prisoners' by way of a so-called sweetener! This on its own is considered a lethal cocktail!

Medical trials of cannabis show positive results
Research could soon show that cannabis could be a helpful long-term treatment for multiple sclerosis sufferers. Patients who took part in a 15-week study - published in the Lancet last year - went on to try the effectiveness of the banned drug, [herb], for a 52-week course, John Zajicek of the Peninsula medical school told the British Association science festival which ended in Exeter.

NT activists await Supreme Court decision
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Research points to corporate journalists alcohol-schizophrenia link
New research has revealed more evidence of a link between corporate media journalists and schizophrenia. A national conference beginning in Melbourne today will examine international studies about the issue.

Fremantle police at centre of missing cannabis claims
One sunny day I was riding my bike, and smokin' a joint, 'cause that's what I like. A police man stopped me and began to stare and he said "hey sonny, whatcha smokin' there?"

Canadian PM pledges to decriminalise marijuana
Prime Minister Paul Martin has pledged to reintroduce legislation this year to decriminalise the possession and use of small amounts of marijuana.

Don't bash us on Saturday
Human rights activists in Darwin are concerned for their safety and the safety of the public at this week's Network Against Prohibition (NAP) Community Smoke-In for Human Rights.

Heroin: Hazy logic dictates a painful prohibition
Between moments of pungent humour, The Barbarian Invasions is a confronting movie. Facing a painful death to cancer, Remy, a self-described "socialist, hedonist lecher", accepts Montreal's crumbling, cramped public health system as his left-wing fate.

Port Lincoln Mayor has lost the plot!
Controversial Port Lincoln Mayor Peter Davis has called for drug addicts to be given a lethal injection to cut rising illicit drug use on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.

Sign, sign everywhere a sign
The Syringe Festival was first held in Darwin in August 2002. The event, organised by the Network Against Prohibition was held as a protest against the Territory's new "drug house" laws that came into effect on August 1 last year, as well as a celebration of drug culture.

QANTAS pooping on people?
Ten unions are involved in the campaign against the program. They say they do not oppose drug and alcohol testing to prevent and determine impairment, but they are concerned that the trial will force workers to reveal use of prescription medicines or over-the-counter drugs.

NSW Ombudsman to probe police 'move-on' powers
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Drug law blamed for hep C epidemic
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Jail trade in 'sex for favours'
Professor Harding found evidence of bullying and standover tactics at the jail, often associated with the distribution of illegal drugs.

CWA wants pot legalised
PERCEIVED as the height of conservatism, the Country Women's Association has had a reputation for baking and handicrafts until now. The organisation yesterday confirmed it is seeking to have cannabis legalised for health reasons. A recommendation to be put forward to the annual meeting in May calls for the legalisation of the drug for the treatment of terminally ill patients.

The Thai Drug Users' Network is a group of individuals who use or have used drugs We have come together to respond to the deplorable health and human rights situation of drug users in our country, and in particular the current climate of fear caused by the extrajudicial killing of people allegedly involved with drugs.

Another lethal party drug article...
This is another lethal party drug article by the Daily Telegraph's (DT)'s Super Crime Buster Division, but I'll try to straighten it out a bit so you can understand it.

Poison Ivy: Drugs and Substances
Everything is a drug love, money, vegemite, and honey so why the hang up on coke? Things go better with Coke. at least that's what we're told each and every day by advertising. [?] So why the big hang up on alcohol, amphetamines, cigarettes, marijuana, speed, ecstasy and cocaine?

Police selling drugs? Bikies selling drugs? Pharmacies prescribing drugs Of course there will be criticism when you cross that thin blue line! You have to realise how the government itself has been corrupted because of the drug scene and the money involved.

Drug rehabilitation: Threats, threats and more threats!
But a spokesperson for Citizens Against Being Forced Mr Ihave Amind Ofmyown said, "Major Watters is John Howard's adviser because he's a bully. Citizens make their own decisions about what is best for them and if you don't like that step down."

MPs told of police corruption
Corruption and mismanagement are still entrenched in the NSW Police, and problems at the highest levels are "whitewashed", according to evidence given yesterday to a federal parliamentary committee.

Alcohol is just the beginning
People who start using alcohol by their mid teens are more than twice as likely as others to experiment with different drugs and to become dependent on drugs a major Australian study has found.

Tobacco, alcohol top the drug abuse toll
Tobacco and alcohol accounted for 83 per cent of the cost of drug abuse in Australia, dwarfing the financial impact of illegal drugs, a Commonwealth Government report has found.

NSW police cracked up on antisocial behaviour
Hundreds of extra police will be on the streets of Sydney from this afternoon as part of a major blitz on crime and activities as "antisocial behaviour" says the ABC online last Fri 24 May 2002.

Alcohol pickles your brain
The only two social drugs the Government sanction are cigarettes and alcohol as legal, yet they cause the most damage." He said.

DNA fingerprinting 'no longer foolproof'...

Pioneer of process calls for upgrade

The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA fingerprinting.

Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, a geneticist at Leicester University, said police DNA databases should hold more information to lessen the chances of a false positive.

He was speaking at a briefing to mark the 20th anniversary of his pioneering of DNA fingerprinting.

Genetic profiles stored by police normally record the details of 10 specific parts of the long chain of molecules that make up a person's DNA. The chances of two unrelated people having the same details for all these 10 markers - and hence the chance of a false identification - is said to be about one in a billion. This method has traditionally been regarded as highly efficient at identifying suspects from DNA traces left at crime scenes.

[As long as the DNA traces weren't left at crime scenes by police.]

However, Prof Jeffreys said the increasing number of records being held on the police database - currently about 2.5m - meant that having only 10 markers per person was no longer foolproof.

He suggested 15 or 16 markers to reduce the chances of two people having the same profile to one in more than a trillion. American law-enforcement authorities are already considering changing the profiles in their DNA databases along these lines.

In Britain, DNA evidence has been used in countless criminal investigations and the police regard it as an invaluable tool. Peter Gill, of the Forensic Science Service, which administers the national DNA database for the police, said his agency was "confident that the 10 markers currently used are sufficient".

He said: "The chance of an adventitious match is fairly small, yet we never discount the possibility, and all our reporting officers are aware of this.

"If the DNA profile is partial because the sample is degraded, then adventitious matches often occur. However, it is important to remember that the national DNA database is an intelligence database. This means that before a decision to prosecute can be given, all of the evidence in the case must be carefully considered. DNA is never reported in isolation. The jury makes its decision based on all of the evidence presented."

[Just plain rubbish and propaganda because they take DNA from prisoners and even those who are charged in the UK and not found guilty. Not just that but their careful consideration has led to those being found guilty on flawed circumstantial evidence to allegedly back up alleged foolproof DNA results.]

Prof Jeffreys also gave a warning against keeping DNA records of people who had been wrongly suspected of crimes - something the police have been legally allowed to do since 2001.

In certain parts of the country, this could lead to an over-representation of certain ethnic groups, [and prisoners], and could lead to resentment, he said. The solution was either to delete records of those who had been cleared of any offence or simply to extend DNA profiling to everyone in Britain.

He also expressed reservations about the idea of extracting anything more than simple identification data from DNA. "Police store not only the DNA profile but also the physical DNA," he said. "If they have that, there is the long-term risk that people could access health information in the future. Police have absolutely no right to that information."

He sought to calm civil liberty fears that police might reach the stage of producing Photofits based solely on DNA information, saying science would be a limiting factor.

There are few robust tests for identifying physical characteristics from someone's DNA - such as hair and eye colour and broad ethnic origin - although research in the area is continuing.

Outlining the challenges for DNA profiling, he said the basic science had been achieved, but the problems now lay in improving the technology.

He asked: "Can we speed up and simplify the procedure?" Within a decade, he pointed out, police may have hand-held devices that could profile DNA samples they found at the scene of a crime in a process taking only a few seconds and costing a few pence.

[Once again the neglect to assume that police can do no wrong? Like planting DNA at crime scene's, see links]

A scientific revolution

1984 Alec Jeffreys, a geneticist at Leicester University, discovers DNA fingerprinting by accident during research while studying how genes differ between people and how they evolve.

1985 His technique first used to reunite a boy with his family after an immigration dispute. It showed with a certainty of 99.997% that the boy was the true son of UK citizens originally from Ghana.

Also in 1985, the notorious war criminal Josef Mengele's remains, thought to be buried in Brazil, were positively identified by Prof Jeffreys using DNA fingerprinting.

1987 UK patent granted. Prof Jeffreys licenses technology to Cellmark Diagnostics, a subsidiary of ICI.

1988 Colin Pitchfork is first person to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence for the rape and murder of two girls in Leicestershire. DNA evidence rapidly gains acceptance in US and UK courts.

1989 First serious attempt made to have DNA evidence excluded from a criminal trial in murder case against New York handyman Jose Castro. Though scientists concluded the DNA evidence was flimsy, Castro later confessed.

By Alok Jha posted 10 September 04

Corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes

Others have raised concerns about corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes.

DNA - A Shadow of Doubt

One case points to misinterpretation of evidence that helped put a man behind bars. The other shows just how easy it is to plant falsely incriminating DNA evidence. As our forensic techniques become ever more sensitive, so the possibility of abuse continues to grow.

Military lawyers await probe on DNA tampering

The Army's Criminal Investigation Command said nearly 500 forensic test results from all services dating back 10 years are under review after one of its examiners allegedly faked results. About 119 of those cases pertain to the Navy and Marine Corps.

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder

As long as the the prisoners DNA wasn't planted at the crime scene. It is one thing to force prisoners to hand over their DNA and another thing to exploit it.

Related DNA Links:

Military lawyers await probe on DNA tampering
The Army's Criminal Investigation Command said nearly 500 forensic test results from all services dating back 10 years are under review after one of its examiners allegedly faked results. About 119 of those cases pertain to the Navy and Marine Corps.

Expert baffled by Falconio evidence DNA contamination
NT: The director of the Northern Territory's forensic science unit has told a Darwin court he does not know how his DNA contaminated a key piece of evidence in the Peter Falconio murder trial. [lost trial? After all he wasn't found?]

Corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes
Others have raised concerns about corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes.

The ABC for good or evil?
He had a suspect that he wanted to find guilty based on the chances of a spouse killing a spouse which were greater in anycase, at least more likely than that of a stranger.

First Grabs To Control Our DNA
A small company in Australia has been subjected to gross denials of rights after DNA database technology was stolen from it's company. This one year saga has spawned them to form a new approach to projects of importance to all people.

Worries over DNA and racial profiling
UK: Black men are four times more likely than White men to be on the national DNA database and there is growing concern about racial profiling in criminal investigations.

Lab's Errors Force Review of 150 Virginia DNA Cases
US: WASHINGTON, - A sharply critical independent audit found that Virginia's nationally recognized central crime laboratory had botched DNA tests in a leading capital murder case. The findings prompted Gov. Mark Warner to order a review of the lab's handling of testing in 150 other cases as well.

Witch-hunt targets scientists
QLD: SCIENTISTS at the John Tonge Centre are being threatened with jail in the wake of a government hunt for the source of leaks highlighting serious problems in the forensic laboratories.

Fresh swipe at DNA labs
Scientist Kris Bentley, whose departure yesterday follows that of forensic biologist Deanna Belzer after concerns about "inaccurate" DNA results and unvalidated equipment, issued a scathing resignation letter leaked to The Courier-Mail.

DNA leads 'CSI' cold-case squad to first arrest?
Frozen case? I don't really know what to say about them until they come up with their case. They say it involves DNA evidence but that's the only stuff we know.

Criminal's DNA filed under relative's name
The New South Wales Opposition is calling for an investigation into claims that police have entered DNA data for serious offenders under incorrect names.

DNA Evidence of Bipartisanship
Last week the U.S. Congress passed the Justice for All Act, which includes provisions of the Innocence Protection Act. As of this posting, the legislation has not yet been signed by President Bush. Attached is an analysis of the legislation prepared by the Justice Project.

DNA fingerprinting 'no longer foolproof'...
The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA fingerprinting.

THE BUTLER DIDN'T DO IT!
PROFESSOR BARRY BOETTCHER: Now, there should be a law enacted within Queensland so that when cases come up like this they can be brought to attention and if an appropriate authority such as a judge of your Supreme Court considers that it merits further inquiry, an inquiry be ordered.

'Rape' officer clears his name
UK: A former policeman has been cleared of rape after protesting his innocence for 15 years. Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled that Brian Kelly, 47, had suffered a miscarriage of justice over crucial DNA evidence.

New unit investigates unsolved deaths?
A new police unit has been established to investigate more than 360 unsolved deaths in New South Wales, with many of the deaths dating back more than 30 years.

Death Penalty Forensics?
In proposing a new death penalty for Massachusetts last month, Governor Mitt Romney offered firm assurance that no innocent people would be executed: Convictions, he said, will be based on science.

Prisoner's bid for review denied
Prisoner Roger Cheney has lost a Supreme Court action to have a judicial review of his 1993 convictions an 30-year jail sentence. Justice Shaw said he was concerned about the prisoner's claim that DNA evidence held by the police could prove his innocence. Although Cheney had requested the results of the DNA tests, he had been denied access to the forensic analysis.

QLD Prisoners DNA Bid THE curious case of Queensland's "cat lady" murder is set to test the state's legal authorities again, with the man convicted of the killing asking the Attorney-General to take the unprecedented step of releasing blood samples for DNA retesting.

Database clears up crimes?
NSW Police Minister John Watkins said at the launch of a Sydney conference of international forensic experts meeting to mark 100 years of fingerprinting in NSW. He said the collection of DNA from prisoners and suspects in NSW during the past two years had led to more than 5,400 matches on the forensic database.

A Question of Innocence
Katrina Bolton: The promise of DNA freeing the innocent as well as convicting the guilty has been repeated by politicians across Australia, usually while DNA laws are being expanded. The promise was made as a national DNA database, ‘Crimtrac’ was created, and it was made as NSW introduced legislation giving unprecedented powers to take DNA samples from prisoners, by force if necessary.

Mouse Trap Game? Tried Until Guilty!
Two New South Wales Labor MPs have strongly criticised the Carr Government's proposed abolition of the 800 year old double jeopardy rule, which stops people being tried a second time for the same crime. The left-wing MPs have branded the reforms as dishonest and unjust in a formal submission to the Attorney-General's department.

Weak Carr Government suspends Innocence Panel
It's a callous disregard for justice! The panel takes applications from convicted prisoners for DNA evidence to be analysed a move that may help in a future court appeal.

JUST BEAT IT! Govt lauds crime-solving technology?
The New South Wales Government says advances in crime solving technology are helping the progress of hundreds of police investigations.

DNA yours or mine?
Now they have isolated two genes that they say tells you if you're more likely to be depressed. What does that mean? It could mean that you should stay in jail because you are more likely than not to continue your offending behaviour according to a Department of Corrective Services Forensic Psychiatrist.

DNA testing causes debate in murder case
The use of voluntary DNA testing in the investigation of a murder case in New South Wales has been applauded by victim support groups who are ill informed about the process said Justice Action's spokesperson Gregory Kable.

Abolition of double jeopardy law a political stunt: NSW Opp
Why draconian laws? What about the re-trial by media that goes along with it? Twice shy?

ARE YOU INNOCENT?
The NSW government has finally appointed somebody (Justice John Nader) to head up its Innocence Panel and has produced leaflets and forms for people convicted of serious crimes (eg murder) to apply for DNA testing if they believe it may help prove their innocence. You can get the info by phoning 1300 881 717 or writing to the panel at GPO Box 45 Sydney NSW 2001.

Prisoners can prove innocence for $20
Les Kennedy Daily Telegraph reported today that" Prisoners who believe that DNA will prove they were wrongly convicted will have the chance to prove their innocence for a mere $20 administration fee. The move comes 20 months after NSW inmates were asked to provide DNA for comparison with a databank of DNA from unsolved crime scenes for possible convictions.

DNA = Do Not Assume - DNA Controversies!
The national DNA database of all known offenders proposed by Prime Minister Tony Blair could mean that innocent people will be accused of crimes they did not commit.

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder As long as the the prisoners DNA wasn't planted at the crime scene. It is one thing to force prisoners to hand over their DNA and another thing to exploit it.

DNA - A Shadow of Doubt
One case points to misinterpretation of evidence that helped put a man behind bars. The other shows just how easy it is to plant falsely incriminating DNA evidence. As our forensic techniques become ever more sensitive, so the possibility of abuse continues to grow.

law and order days over, says Blair

Labour's crime plan includes satellite tracking of 5,000 worst offenders.

UK: [War criminal],Tony Blair will today make the provocative claim that Labour's new five-year crime plan heralds "the end of the 1960s liberal consensus on law and order" by putting the values of the law-abiding majority at the centre of the criminal justice system.

[? criminal law system, and ruling class at that it's a pity Blair didn't lead by some form of example.]

In tandem with the home secretary, David Blunkett, who has also attacked "Hampstead liberals" in the past, the prime minister will seek to refocus public attention on a key feature of the domestic agenda which is of growing concern to Labour voters. While insisting that the sixties removed ugly prejudices and expanded individual freedoms, Blair is expected to concede that the new lifestyles did not sufficiently foster responsibility to others, family discipline or role models - and focused the law and order system too much on offenders' rights. [?]

[How about a New World Order? That's OWN spelt backwoods.]

In less populist terms an expansion of the national DNA database and new satellite tracking technology to keep tabs on Britain's 5,000 most prolific offenders are at the core of the Home Office's five year anti-crime plan being published by Blunkett today. It will be matched by a new approach to neighbourhood policing, with "community-focused justice" at the centre of the government's next phase of its drive against antisocial behaviour.

[Like cattle people will be owned and tracked around the clock and any profiled DNA used to plant evidence at crime scenes for a noble cause like false flag operations. Big brother breathing down people's necks 24/7. There is no justice in that, only law brought about by the ruling class.]

But Blair, who faces another gruelling week to re-establish his authority, will seek to sex it up by appealing to the kind of Middle Britain anxieties that marked last week's score-draw byelections.

[Like he sexed up the WMD in Iraq to illegally and pre-emptively strike, occupy and commit genocide on the sovereign nation!]

Thatcherism's economic reforms further fragmented the social cohesion of communities, he will suggest. "People do not want a return to old prejudices and ugly discrimination. But they want rules, order and proper behaviour.

They know there is such a thing as society. They want the society of respect and responsibility, they want a community where the decent law-abiding majority are in charge, where those who play by the rules do well and those who do not get punished," he is expected to say.

[Then why didn't he lead by some form of example as a law abiding person? No one believes a criminal and a liar.]

To this end the number of "trailblazer" areas to tackle antisocial behaviour is to be expanded from 10 to 50. Police and community safety workers will be expected to identify and deal with the 50 worst offenders in each of the rundown communities.

Blunkett hopes they will develop a new way of policing which will see a team based in each neighbourhood with forums so that residents can determine their priorities for action. They will be given the specific crime figures for their neighbourhood with league tables showing how they compare with similar communities.

[After police 'identify and deal' they won't be trusted as much and therefore less likely to be informed about community common knowledge and crime because they will be hated. So they will not get many people actually giving them information because police won't be trusted.]

New measures are also expected to improve the treatment of victims and witnesses by the criminal justice system, [? criminal law system], including the appointment of a dedicated witness officer in every court to ensure they are kept fully informed.

The emphasis on targets appears to contradict Labour's declared wish to cut them and, in an article in the Guardian, today, [ruling class tabloid run stooges], the Blairite ex-minister, Stephen Byers, warns the prime minister that the style that used to work for him - "identify the polar opposites in any debate and then position yourself in the middle" - is no longer enough.

"This is the time for New Labour to define itself positively, not negatively," writes Mr Byers. Labour's crime, transport and defence plans are all due this week, before Mr Blair faces critics at the party's national policy forum at the weekend.

Today's plan will explain how Blunkett intends to meet his unprecedented pledge to cut crime by 15% within three years. This week's new crime figures are expected to show that overall crime remains stable, but violent crime, especially alcohol-related incidents, continues to rise. Blair now admits that the police were the least fit public service in 1997 and argues that renewed community policing, tackling the offence rather than the offender; and giving the police the necessary powers to restore respect on the streets are crucial.

[Of course the tax on alcohol that the government takes wouldn't have anything to do with alcohol-related incidents would it? And if police are in people's faces then it could backfire as well, especially giving them more powers? That could mean less dialogue and more violence. So how is that going to restore respect?]

Blunkett yesterday talked of the problems arising from a new breed of "lager loutettes" with the number of women drinking over the safe limit of 21 units a week rising from 14% to 33%. He said they were changing the nature of pub culture and the presence of women in the bar was no longer necessarily the calming influence on young men starting to lay about each other that it might have been in the past.

Ministers hope the extra 15,000 civilian police community support officers announced last week combined with more fixed penalty notices will underline the new drive against low-level offending that blights communities.

It will be underpinned by a growth in youth inclusion projects which offer sports and mentoring focused on out-of-control "feral teenage children" in high crime areas. But the five-year plan will also place a strong emphasis on using new technology to cut crime.

Satellite technology is to be used to tag and track offenders after they have been released from prison and while they are serving community penalties such as work orders. Ministers hope that this new generation of electronic tagging will enable the police and probation services to know where offenders have been, including scenes of crime, and help boost public confidence in alternatives to prison.

[Like cattle the community and not just offenders will be monitored in the future. The'll want to know where all the slave cattle are and in what yard.]

A decision is to be made later this summer on whether sex offenders will also face compulsory lie detector tests after their release from prison to ensure that they have no intention of reoffending.

[Sex offenders the most unpopular are the first category to open up big brothers infringments on civil rights. First they came for the sex offenders and I did nothing because I hated sex offenders. Then they came for scapegoats and patsies and called them terrorists using false flag operations and I did nothing. Then they came for me.]

A new national register of violent and sex offenders containing details of the 5,000 most prolific offenders is also to be developed to give the police instant access to the most accurate and detailed information on all known dangerous offenders.

The controversial national DNA database will also get a funding boost to ensure that it contains samples from all known prolific active offenders and kept up to date.

[DNA samples are dangerouse because athorities can lift a bit of a persons DNA in custody or by some means and plant it at a crime scene. Then as they already have a persons DNA profile so they can then claim they have found a match to that crime scene and have someone locked up for a crime they didn't commit.]

Their 3D-iD system is ideal for both stationary assets, such as large physical inventories or for mobile assets like people and portable equipment. 3D-iD is developed around patent-pending technology based on pseudonoise research conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense, [war.]

PinPoint has applied this research to create L3RF Tags (Long Range, Long Life, and Low Cost Radio Frequency). 3D-iD can read signals from distances of up to 200 feet to within a -+10 feet resolution.

As no line of sight is required, Tags can be seen through walls, closets, desks and doors. The result is a complete Local Positioning System.

To achieve this breakthrough, 3D-iD takes advantage of recent advances in radio tagging, battery storage and life, low-cost microcomputer technology, digital signal processing and enterprise data management.

By Alan Travis, Michael White and edited by Gregory Kable 19 July 04

Today Paedophiles TOMORROW You!

To suggest there is a need to restrict their movement is rubbish! This is a grab for civil liberties in NSW and it offends everyone else who is free to associate because soon it could be you who is restricted or someone you know.

Related DNA Links Updated 2009:

DNA Police

Related Prison Links:

Prison service 'on brink of a race crisis'
Britain's jails are plagued by a culture of racism among a hard core of officers and have been rocked by allegations that black prisoners have been made to fight white inmates, [prisoners], for the amusement of warders, according to the union chief in charge of 33,500 officers.

How detox and self-help brought suicide jail back from the brink
UK: Six suicides in 12 months made Styal prison notorious and the Prisons Ombudsman criticised the prison and its staff for serious failures. But things are changing.

Restorative Justice Practices
Restorative Justice Practices of Native American, First Nation and Other Indigenous People of North America: Part One BY LAURA MIRSKY.This is part one in a series of articles about restorative justice practices of Native American, First Nation and other indigenous people of North America.

UK: The injustice of jail
UK: Give or take Alcatraz, few prisons have a grimmer reputation than Holloway. The former chief inspector, David Ramsbotham, once declared it too disgusting to assess. Others have called the jail's cockroach-infested blocks the worst in the country. Holloway, its image pitched somewhere between Dante's Inferno and the penitentiary wing of Fawlty Towers, has never seemed a candidate for a good slammer award.

Belmarsh prisoners consider suicide, says freed man
UK: The first of the Muslim prisoners released from Belmarsh high security prison after being held on suspicion of terrorism, [scapegoats for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East], has [said], his fellow prisoners are suffering such 'severe mental problems' that they constantly consider suicide.

Revolving door: Criminal Law System
UK: They are just the opposite of master criminals. Indeed, in the words of Nick Davies in his latest three-part Guardian series on the criminal justice system, [? criminal law system], their criminal careers reflect "the same muddled inadequacy as they handle the rest of their lives". They were nearly all born and raised in chaos.

How the Prison Service Works
1.Abuse and torture inmates at HMP Wormwood Scrubs
2.Take years to admit a regime of violence and torture.
3.Settle 46 claims, paying 1.7 million to prisoners.
5.Carry on as before.
4.Keep 11 of the 14 prison officers responsible in their jobs.

Prisoners must get right to vote, says court
UK: The government will be forced to lift a ban on prisoners voting dating back to 1870 after the European court of human rights ruled yesterday it breached a lifer's human rights.

Cherie calls for women to be kept out of jail
UK: Cherie Booth today launches an impassioned attack on the jailing of women, warning of a 'cycle of poverty and crime' spiralling down the generations unless more female criminals are spared prison.

Blunkett charges miscarriage of justice victims 'food and lodgings'
UK: WHAT do you give someone who's been proved innocent after spending the best part of their life behind bars, wrongfully convicted of a crime they didn't commit? An apology, maybe? Counselling? Champagne?Compensation?

Prison needle cleansing programme
The Department of Health and the Prison Service appeared to be at odds last night over a needle cleansing programme designed to protect prisoners from blood-borne infections such as HIV and hepatitis.

England tops the EU in imprisonment
England and Wales jail more offenders per capita than any other European, Union country, according to new figures. The imprisonment rate of 141 per 100,000 makes the countries the prison capital of Europe for the second year running.

Don't put mothers behind bars
If we are to arrest the soaring prison suicide rate among women, we need to look at alternative punishment.

UK Prison Abuse: Guards Holding Nooses
'We will kill you. We will get away with it... we've done it before' Prisoners tell of hanging threats by officers holding nooses.

K K K in the UK
In the documentary it is alleged an officer dressed in a Ku Klux Klan mask at a training centre in north-west England. An undercover reporter from the BBC also claimed to have taped racist comments by some officers.

Suicides and unrest have soared, admits Home Office
UK:The already overcrowded prison population is set to go on rising and will top 80,000 within the next three years, a senior Home Office civil servant warned yesterday.

My Sarah was smart and talented - Why did she die in jail?
LONDON: Sarah Campbell was just 18 when she killed herself [? committed suicide,] one of seven women to die in jail this year. Our correspondent asks why so many women kill themselves in prison [? commit suicide in prison.]

Weak NSW Government suspends Innocence Panel

It's a callous disregard for justice!

The DNA evidence panel is under investigation and the New South Wales Innocence Panel's operations have been suspended and a review of how it works ordered.

The panel takes applications from convicted prisoners for DNA evidence to be analysed a move that may help in a future court appeal.

GKCNN spoke to Mr Brett Collins of Justice Action the prisoners action group Mr Collins said, "For the Police Minister to have control and suspend the Innocence Panel is outrageous and shows the weakness of the Carr government on issues of justice when confronted with police interests, and the wish to appear tough on law and order."

"Police have been compelling citizens to supply DNA samples on the basis that the technology is even-handed and tells the truth. Justice demands that the truth for innocence is exposed at least as clearly, but only the Police are getting access to the technology, using taxpayers funds."

Police Minister John Watkins says the suspension follows an application made by a man convicted over Janine Balding's death in 1988.

He says Stephen Wayne Jamieson requested to have some evidence checked for DNA.

[Because Stephen Wayne Jamieson is innocent!]

Watkins says the panel must operate within tighter guidelines.

"I'm suspending the operation of the panel because I don't believe there are sufficient checks and balances to protect anyone other than the applicant," Watkins said.

"That means the victim, their family and the wider community."

But In the US dozens of people on death row have been found to be innocent after DNA tests, due to police misbehaviour or carelessness. The Wood Royal Commission showed again that many NSW police were not to be trusted. Yet the Carr government is now showing its callous disregard for justice, and is using the excuse of the victims' lobby as a camouflage for the interests of the police.

Victims of our flawed justice system are victims for whom we all have responsibility. That is the meaning behind the adage that it is "better that 99 guilty people go free than one innocent person be found guilty."

DNA Links Updated 2009:

ARE YOU INNOCENT?

The Australian Law Reform Commission had recommended that the Innocence Panel be independent and have the power to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice.

Prisoners can prove innocence for $20?

Les Kennedy Daily Telegraph reported today that" Prisoners who believe that DNA will prove they were wrongly convicted will have the chance to prove their innocence for a mere $20 administration fee. The move comes 20 months after NSW inmates were asked to provide DNA for comparison with a databank of DNA from unsolved crime scenes for possible convictions.

Corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes

Others have raised concerns about corrupt police planting DNA evidence at crime scenes.

Military lawyers await probe on DNA tampering

The Army's Criminal Investigation Command said nearly 500 forensic test results from all services dating back 10 years are under review after one of its examiners allegedly faked results. About 119 of those cases pertain to the Navy and Marine Corps.

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder

As long as the the prisoners DNA wasn't planted at the crime scene. It is one thing to force prisoners to hand over their DNA and another thing to exploit it.

DNA Evidence of Bipartisanship

Last week the U.S. Congress passed the Justice for All Act, which includes provisions of the Innocence Protection Act. As of this posting, the legislation has not yet been signed by President Bush. Attached is an analysis of the legislation prepared by the Justice Project.

By Justice Action 12 August 03

Related DNA Links:

The battle for your DNA
Advances in technology are helping police solve missing person's cases in New South Wales. Police say there have been 11 cases to date where police have identified human remains from mitochondrial DNA.

DNA yours or mine?
Now they have isolated two genes that they say tells you if you're more likely to be depressed. What does that mean? It could mean that you should stay in jail because you are more likely than not to continue your offending behaviour according to a Department of Corrective Services Forensic Psychiatrist.

JUST BEAT IT! Govt lauds crime-solving technology?
If you can't prove where you were when the crime was committed then you'll have to prove you weren't at the crime scene. They take DNA and match it or they already have your profile DNA and match it. Now you have to prove it doesn't match the crime scene.

DNA = Do Not Assume - DNA Controversies!
The national DNA database of all known offenders proposed by Prime Minister Tony Blair could mean that innocent people will be accused of crimes they did not commit.

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder As long as the the prisoners DNA wasn't planted at the crime scene. It is one thing to force prisoners to hand over their DNA and another thing to exploit it.

ARE YOU INNOCENT?
The Australian Law Reform Commission had recommended that the Innocence Panel be independent and have the power to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice.

Prisoners can prove innocence for $20?
Les Kennedy Daily Telegraph reported today that" Prisoners who believe that DNA will prove they were wrongly convicted will have the chance to prove their innocence for a mere $20 administration fee. The move comes 20 months after NSW inmates were asked to provide DNA for comparison with a databank of DNA from unsolved crime scenes for possible convictions.

Related Police Corruption Links:

Police WarLords set to take over Sydney again
Police warlords are set to take over Sydney's suburbs because police are not being supervised properly.

Jailed man's conviction to be reviewed
The New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal will today review the conviction of a man, after claims in the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) last year that police planted weapons and faked suspects' confessions.

Rookies step up to ranks of Keystone-Cops?
Officers untrained in major criminal investigation are being posted to the state's elite body of detectives.

The inaugural Australian Police Summit
The inaugural Australian Police Summit (APS) will take place 18-19 June 2003 at the Australian Technology Park, Sydney. APS is Australia's only dedicated event focusing on all aspects of Law Enforcement and Policing.

NSW Police! Soothsayers or slayers? Strategy part 3 Permit denial
Part three: Refuse to grant a permit for another planned march because they manipulated the populist view. How? By exploiting your argument and eroding the public's confidence in peaceful demonstrations and by using the media to tell their lies, then using that as a weapon against peace.

Police violence fractures Peace movements?
The resolution also criticised New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Dick Adams for creating a threatening environment by mobilising excessive force for the protest.

No confidence in 'Force' when service is out the door
How are shopkeepers and service staff going to feel today knowing police are vulnerable to be attacked while serving customers at the counter of a police station?

Every dog has his day: Brammer resigns
The Police Integrity Commission found that Brammer, along with other senior police, had at times displayed a lack of support for the former police reform body, the Crime Management Support Unit.

MPs told of police corruption
Corruption and mismanagement are still entrenched in the NSW Police, and problems at the highest levels are "whitewashed", according to evidence given yesterday to a federal parliamentary committee.

Black Knight Moroney to give evidence?
Accusations about former high-ranking NSW policewoman Lola Scott's alleged failure to act against paedophiles have dominated a federal crime inquiry hearing in Sydney.

The NSW Police Force
The NSW Police Force has stopped production on its new movie Viking. Viking, showing in NSW Parliament House and in the suburbs of Sydney recently.

Crime victim group wants say in money allocation
A spokesperson from Justice Action Mr Brett Collins said, "Victims should be properly compensated regardless of the source and that is currently the law. The law says you don't need to find even the offender to get compensation. This is an attempt by the opposition to create a law and order issue-involving victims when there is in fact no issue!

Abolition of 800 year old double jeopardy law a crime
The 800-year-old rule prevents a person who's acquitted of a criminal charge from ever being re-tried for that offense.

When real safety is jeopardised in NSW
Perception of crime is still a problem in NSW, with a new Productivity Commission report showing the state's citizens feel less safe than most of their counterparts.

Call to Bronwyn Bishop's Federal Crime Inquiry
I call on Bronwyn Bishop to allow me to produce first evidence about police corruption and to be able to attend Parliament House Sydney without fear of conviction.

Australia: politicians should watch police
In Sydney yesterday the Opposition police spokesman, Andrew Tink, urged Federal Labor MPs to allow the public hearing of the claims, which include that senior police, the PIC and the Ombudsman's office were failing to investigate legitimate complaints of misconduct, including corruption in the police promotion system.

The community questions ICAC's slagging and fobbing you off?
The ICAC, Commissions, Ombudsman, Police Integrity Commission (PIC), and numerous Tribunals etc, are all arms of government set up as an insurance police for the government's 3 or 4 year election terms. In short they'll be out of office by the time you may be lucky enough to have your matter heard.

Who is bad?
Super Rat? M5? M11? K8? N2? So I trust that some people who, with the photos and guns guessed that a jury would quickly establish a case against a profiled person whom, you just had a picture and a history of. Common knowledge? The government knew their victims would take the blame. Not just chess in court, 'moving around the pieces', but 'putting false evidence, or not enough evidence before the jury."

2,500 crooked detectives? Or a corrupt Government?
Evan Whitton: Either two things occurred. If you said you didn't join the police force to extort money from working girls, your papers were marked 'not suitable for plain clothes' and you were sent back to uniform.

How to become corruption resistant in NSW
Don't trust those who cannot prove themselves with the little amounts of trust you give them. Just because they have a letter of perceived trust doesn't mean they can be trusted.

This is not how you eat 'antisocial behaviour'
Process corruption, perjury, planting of evidence, verbals, fabricated confessions, denial of suspects rights, a solicitor to induce confessions, tampering with electronic recording equipment, framing. Generally green lighting crime, and I say Murder, including the kids who overdosed on heroin. No doubt.

Black Knight - Long way to go home
In line with the current climate of police corruption and the demise of the reform unit set up by Wood, these facts ought to have been a good reason to leave Moroney out of the package as Commissioner.

Bob down and sniff my arse
These are serious invasions of privacy and draconian laws? Where are our democratic soldiers, the lawyers and the barristers who need to take on the government in the courts? Are they plastic? Or to busy feathering their nests? Or have they been cleverly purchased by this black government. Drug test police and politicians, and have the tests independently accessed.

Come in spinner? Or Come in sinner?
"You don't have, in my view very vigilant processes. I suppose it's akin to the problem of corruption within the police," he told the ABC radio. " People say there's corruption with the police (but) do you get the police to investigate problems within their own ranks?

Deeds
I am disturbed by Governments 'actions' in relation to shuffling the police service. Clive Small seconded into Parliament like a cocky in a perch. A breach of the fundamental Separation of Powers Doctrine does not in my view allow the thought of intervening, planning, or shuffling to stack the deck of our police service. The one that suppose to be autonomous according to Lord Denning. Where the Parliamentary Secretary can ask the commissioner of police to 'report' then sack him if he is not satisfied with such report.

Australia's Political Underworld...& their enforcers
The promotion of law and order means money to big business. Profits from insurance, security fixtures, patrol services and the like can only continue to grow if the perceived threat of uncontrollable crime wave escalates. In the past few months there have been many examples of the true nature of our blood thirsty politicians and their sinister attempts to spoon-feed a not so gullible public with their repetitious rhetoric.

Truth
Who is telling the truth? Well I guess Dr. Ed. Chadbourne or Mr. Peter Ryan may have the answer to that. Dr. Chadbourne sacked by Peter Ryan and more specifically in my view because he elected deputy commissioners Dave Madden and Andrew Scipione as the best men in the service in relation to his qualifications to make a recommendation in his capacity as human resources.That is if you believe that a Dr. can be corrupted.

Honesty
What is happening between the Police Service and politics is quite extraordinary at the moment. If stand over tactics don't work tell half the truth honestly and follow the example of sheep. Another word for it is sleaze, yeah. Another word for it is workplace harassment. Another word for it is bribing a Police Officer. Another word for it is misleading Parliament.

Tele Tales
Most people I know don't buy the Daily Telegraph. Why? Because of the lies and propaganda purported by them.

Lord Denning
Interesting how a member of the Police Board Mr. Tim Priest would hold grave fears for his safety from dangerous senior police but fails to name them or have them sacked. Rather Priest resigns as if he had no powers. Could that mean what he was saying is that the Governments are also corrupt?

Corrosive
Clive Small is Bob Carr's choice for the new Police Commissioner. It could only be the case considering his, Small's special appointment into Parliament House. Small who suffers from the little person syndrome is the ideal bend over boy who gets shuffled through his corrupt actions. Rolling the legal system for him after the fact, just like his predecessor Roger the dodger Rogerson.

Black Nexus
The Separation of Powers Doctrine is nowcontaminated witharangeofcolours, now leaving us with a black shirt on a once blue bridge that crossed that thin blue line. The 'Amery and Woodham show'.

Same boat
The Premier, Bob Carr, relies on a militia. A gang of bikies and our Police Service, to show all of us he is no murderer. He should be taken to the task along with his partners in crime like Clive Small to account for those people who like my self have been maliciously assaulted and who have complained, without any service and those who cannot speak for themselves who were murdered, like Terry Falconer. Terry murdered in custody.

Good Cop
Why have our democratic institutions broken down? It's not just the criminal justice system. The Anti-Corruption Network webmaster@anti-corruption-network.org exposes the same issues. A group of white-collar workers who say they have suffered as follows:

Dangerous
I refer to the Daily Telegraph article 22 March 2002 under the heading Priest quits advisory job.

Partners in crime - history!
Roger Rogerson, the old hero, who never faced a result in the Warren Lanfranchi, or Sally-Anne Huckstepp murders, was let off in my opinion when the New South Wales Government rolled the legal system (deciding what evidence to give the police prosecutor) to have the jury believe the illusion they (the Government wanted to create).

Police Chronology 1994-2001
View events in the NSW Police Force since the Wood Royal Commission began in 1994. 1994 May Justice James Wood is appointed Commissioner of the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service ('WRC').