Law change would extend use of DNA sampling

The Government will introduce legislation tomorrow to allow increased use of DNA sampling, including of serious offenders in prison.

Justice Minister Phil Goff announced in April he would bring in legislation allowing DNA testing of inmates convicted of serious crimes before 1996 - the year police use of DNA testing was passed into law.

Mr Goff said today he would introduce tomorrow the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill to widen the net for catching criminals.

The bill would:

* extend compulsory DNA testing to serious offenders currently in prison who were convicted before the 1996 law change;

* give police the power to obtain DNA samples from burglary suspects;

* allow samples to be collected using mouth swabs. Currently only blood samples can be used.

Mr Goff said 400 of the most "heinous" offenders, convicted before 1996, would now have their DNA included in the police database.

"I believe that allowing such criminals' DNA profiles to be obtained will result in the resolution of previously unsolved crimes."

Mr Goff said giving the police powers to take DNA samples from burglary suspects would help crack down on that crime.

The existing legislation only gave authorisation to obtain samples for the police database from a person already convicted of burglary.

"While the police have made pleasing progress in burglary resolution rates, the fact that DNA is found at 40 per cent of burglary scenes will significantly increase their ability to resolve cases," he said in a statement.

Using mouth swabs to collect samples was less invasive and less expensive than blood tests. The DNA profiles collected this way were of the same quality as those collected from blood.

- NZPA