KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 60 samples involving crime cases were successfully matched through the use of the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) databank to enable the police to solve crime cases which previously could not be solved.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Mazlan Mansor said among the old criminal cases which were solved by using the DNA databank was a rape case which took place about 20 years ago.
“The matching samples enable criminal cases, which could not be solve in the past, can now be concluded.
“For the rape case, its perpetrator, prior to this, was jailed for another offence, but the use of the DNA databank enabled us to link him to the rape he committed previously,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after launching the 2019 National Forensic Science Symposium for Law Enforcement at Maktab Polis Diraja Malaysia in Cheras, here, which was participated by 500 personnel from the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and various agencies including the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
Mazlan said the 60 DNA samples were among 100,000 DNA in the databank obtained by RMP since 2013.
“We hope the databank will be improved and RMP will always discuss with the Chemistry Department concerning various areas which can be updated,” he said.
Earlier, Mazlan said the symposium would take place for three days and 18 domestic and foreign panel members including from the United States and Spain would table their papers on forensic science.
“Through the sharing of knowledge, enforcement agencies such as RMP will be able to glean knowledge from the forensic angle, in line with the motto Justice Via Forensic whereby many old cases can be solved,” he said. — Bernama