DNA law to help fight crime

POLICE have said it is important for the country to match international standards in the use of DNA evidence when dealing with crime.

Forensic biologist in the Zimbabwe Republic Police Detective Assistant Inspector Donald Mushove said the proposed DNA Act is important as it will establish clear institutional frameworks and their functions to provide for biobanks, DNA profiling laboratories, a national DNA Database and a Forensic Science Commission.

Dt Asst Insp Mushove was speaking at a law development commission stakeholder consultative workshop in Bulawayo on the DNA Evidence Bill.

Dt Asst Insp Mushove said the use of DNA evidence has proved to be a useful tool in investigating civil and criminal cases.

“The use of DNA evidence is a novel and established science that has proved to be a useful tool in the investigation of both civil and criminal cases. In general this approach would be applied in serious crimes where other avenues of investigation have turned up no leads. It is not an end in itself but a crucial aid to investigation,” he said.

“Prioritising the provision of basic infrastructure support in police and crime laboratories will go a long way in improving our operations. This will help in the acquisition of state- of- the- art automated DNA profiling equipment which can process a large number of samples per day and can also be easily integrated to laboratory information management systems and thus allow for development of DNA profiles database.”

Dt Asst Insp Mushove said it was widely accepted even by the courts that DNA evidence is an objective truth.

He however said there was a need for strict guidelines and training of police officers and legal practitioners in handling DNA evidence.

“There is a need for caution on the use of DNA evidence because of the potential for human error and human bias. The main purpose of DNA evidence is to assist the criminal justice system to prove if a person is guilty or not.

“The manner in which pre-trial DNA evidence is collected, transported, stored and analysed is vital to fair trial processes hence the need to develop standards for protecting the integrity of DNA evidence for trial purposes,” he said.

Dt Asst Insp Mushove said one of the biggest challenges they were facing was the backlog in unanalysed DNA samples and biological evidence from crime scenes, especially in sexual assaults and murder cases.

“Too often, crime scene samples wait unanalysed in police or crime lab storage facilities because of lack of capacity, limited equipment resources, out-dated information systems and overwhelming case management demands,” he said.— @pamelashumba1. THE Government has started constructing homes for flood victims who were relocated to Tshino and Sawudweni villages in Tsholotsho District after their homes were destroyed by floods.

Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko recently commissioned the new villages.

Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Cain Mathema said construction work should be finished before the start of the rainy season.

“As you know each of the 300 families was given a homestead measuring 75 metres by 50 metres where a house and toilet will be built while they build their own separate kitchen.

“Work has started after we got some non-governmental organisations from Botswana and Namibia who have come on board to help build the homesteads. We received some donations from them to start construction work and one person we are also grateful to as a province is Jabulani Nkomo (son of the late Vice President John Nkomo) whose company also donated towards the project,” said Cde Mathema.

He said the Zimbabwe National Army was also building a clinic for the two villages while some material has also been donated to build a school.

The Civil Protection Unit is helping in the building of the houses, he said.

“At the moment each family lives in a tent and we have to move fast before the rains start,” said the Minister.

He said plans were underway for the District Development Fund to connect piped water to the villages.

Tsholotsho District was one of the hardest hit by Cyclone Dineo-induced floods last February.

The floods destroyed infrastructure, roads, bridges as well as livestock and left hundreds of people homeless countrywide.—@ncubeleon