CrimTrac pre-election debut doubtful - News - Business

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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CrimTrac pre-election debut doubtful

By Rachel Lebihan, ZDNet Australia
October 31, 2001
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/CrimTrac-pre-election-debut-doubtful/0,139023166,120261592,00.htm

The Commonwealth's last election promise to have its information system CrimTrac fully operational within three years isn't far off track, although a pre-election unveiling is unlikely.

CrimTrac includes an automated fingerprint identification system, a national child sex offender register and a national DNA database -- that will hold digital profiles of DNA samples collected from convicted criminals and suspects that will be cross matched against evidence left at crime scenes such as saliva, skin, hair or semen -- allowing State and Territory government agencies to cross reference data.

Although the technology and hardware needed to set up the DNA database has been online and operational since June this year, Australian jurisdictions are still loading profiles onto the DNA system. -We expect cross matching to commence mid November this year," Nicole Johnston, spokesperson for the Minister for Justice and Customs Christopher Ellison, told ZDNet Australia.

-The Commonwealth promised this at the last election...and gave themselves three years to set it up. We're pretty much on track with that at this stage," Johnston said.

CrimTrac is expected to hold between 2.5 million fingerprint records, 4.8 million palmprint records, more than 180,000 prints from unsolved crimes and between 25,000 and 40,000 DNA profiles in the first year.

-The most advanced [jurisdiction] is NSW with already 3000 profiles on the system," Johnston said. WA still doesn't have the requisite legislation passed to obtain DNA profiles.

-It's very exciting technology and DNA systems in other countries have proved to be such a positive resource for police in terms of crimes solved," Johnston said.

Although not right on schedule, Shadow Minister for Justice and Customs Duncan Kerr's office conceded that getting a co-operative approach from all jurisdictions in Australia was always going to be complicated and time consuming.

-It would be sniping of us to criticise the delay," Kerr's spokesperson Natasha Cica said.

Although Kerr's office described CrimTrac as a -very good, sensible program", it stressed it was a Labor government initiative.

-It's a shame the paternity of the idea was not acknowledged," Cica said.