NSW: Police to be given power to take DNA samples

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2000
NSW: Police to be given power to take DNA samples

New South Wales Premier BOB CARR says police will be given the power to take DNA samples
from suspects and criminals under new state government laws.

Prisoners serving sentences of five years or more will also be forced to give a DNA
sample in a move aimed at making crime detection more efficient.

The legislation, to come into effect on January 1 next year, will enable prisoners
to prove their innocence.

Mr CARR says the technology paves the way for some of the state's most baffling crimes
to be solved.

Despite concerns from civil libertarians and the NSW Law Society, Mr CARR says DNA
testing represents the most advanced and effective crime fighting tool ever provided to
police.

Under the laws, people who are suspected of committing a crime will either be asked
to volunteer a DNA sample or potentially face a court order while those arrested will
be forced to give a sample.

NSW Police Commissioner PETER RYAN says police have a freezer full of DNA samples collected
from crime scenes across the state.

AAP RTV ls/sb/smf/jn

KEYWORD: DNA (SYDNEY)

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