The United Kingdom

The world's first national criminal DNA database was established in the United Kingdom in April 1995 and is now run by the FSS (Forensic Science Services) which is the vanguard of forensic science technology in the world and has an unrivalled reputation for the integrity, impartiality and accuracy of its findings. Undoubtedly, the UK NDCID has now become the benchmark of NDCID’s. Genetic data held on the FSS National DNA Databse has become central to the practice of criminal investigation in the UK and contains over 3 million profiles. The two segments of the database comprise the ‘Criminal Justice Database’ (containing DNA taken from persons suspected, reported, charged, convicted, or cautioned for any recordable offence) and the ‘Crime Scene Database’ (containing DNA gathered from crime scenes). In contrast to South Africa, there has been a compulsory system of DNA sampling of criminals in force in Britain, and a national database of those samples, for nearly 10 years. Every person convicted of all except relatively minor offences in Britain must provide a DNA sample. This process of collection has become instrumental in the building up of a working Database, it being widely acknowledged that serial offenders often start with petty crimes before committing serious violent crimes. Police in the UK have used the database as an investigative tool to help solve a wide range of crimes including murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, burglary and arson and have almost doubled their clearance rate for volume crimes such as house burglary, and motor vehicle offences.

German’s NDCID was established in 1998 and now holds approximately 450.000 entries - 75 % of those entries are persons and 25 % are stains. The persons to be entered must either be suspects or condemned and the crime must be either severe or at least intermediate and it needs to be feared that these persons could start again (after jail). The Austrian National DNA Database started as pilot project on October 01, 1997. It was the third to start in Europe after Great Britain (1995) and the Netherlands (1997), followed by Germany (1998). Although the database still is on a national basis, it can be used via Interpol for international comparison.

USA – CODIS System

The USA has implemented a unique system known as the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) which was developed by the FBI and commenced operations in October 1998. To increase the use of DNA technology in the criminal justice system, the US President announced a 5-year, more than billion initiative to improve the use of DNA in the criminal justice system on March 11, 2003. The Presidents DNA Initiative calls for increased funding, training, and assistance—to Federal, State, and local forensic labs; to police; to medical professionals; to victim service providers; and to prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges—ensure that this technology reaches its full potential to solve crimes, protect the innocent, and identify missing persons.