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The African National Congress (ANC) welcomes yesterday's (7 October 2009) decision by the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Police to reject the tabling of the poorly crafted presentation on how police intend to implement the crime-fighting Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill.
The importance of the Bill in the fight against crime � one of the ANC's key priorities � cannot be over-emphasised. The Bill is intended to:
• Expand the powers of the police to collect and store DNA samples.
• Establish and administer a national DNA database.
• Give police access to the electronic database of the Department of Home Affairs, which currently stores fingerprints of 31 million citizens and approximately 2.5 million foreigners, and the Department of Transport where six million thumbprints are sto. At present police have access to its own database, which only stores fingerprints of a limited number of convicted persons.
Not only is the core objective of Parliament to make and pass laws, but also to scrutinise and oversee actions of the executive and civil servants. The decision of the Portfolio Committee on Police - chaired by MP Sindisiwe Chikunga - to hold the senior policemen to account goes to the core of our democracy.
The ANC commends the Portfolio Committee on Police for playing an effective oversight role on behalf of South African taxpayers who will foot the cost of implementing the provisions of Bill.