Time for DNA Registration of all UK resident males?
Registering your DNA is not actually that much of a big deal, unless you've got something to hide that is. Everything about us is on file in one form or another. Dental records, passports, driving licences, insurances, the electoral register, etc, etc. The list goes on. However, this is one form of registration that could truly benefit all by helping to make society a much safer place to live...
Time To Stand Up And Be Counted!
The rape and murder of a twelve year old girl! The rape and murder of a ten year old girl! The abduction and murder of a sixteen year old on her way home from a Christmas shopping trip! The list is long, and goes on and on. However, all of these offences, and the tales of human misery and suffering that go with them, have one thing in common – they could all have been prevented. How you say? Simple! If everyman was registered on the DNA database, the perpetrators would have all been caught before the offences were committed, because, unbelievably, in all of these cases, police had the DNA profiles of the offenders but no names to go with them. Now before anyone starts complaining about personal infringements, think about it. Just about everything you are, do, or have done, is on a computer somewhere. From your birth details, to your dental records, to your passport photo, your driving license, your bank details, your health records, your blood type, your this, your that, and your the other. So, what exactly is the big deal with adding to that plethora of information your DNA profile? Well, when you put it like that, actually, nothing. Unless of course, you’re a criminal!
For those of us that have children, especially daughters, it is impossible to imagine the heartache that parents, family and friends must suffer in a case such as that of Leanne Tiernan, who was abducted and murdered on her way home from a shopping trip, just four weeks before one Christmas. Despite a massive search, police didn’t find her body for nine months because she was kept in a freezer. Try and then put yourself in Leanne’s shoes and imagine what she must have gone through herself. It is truly heartbreaking. Imagine if it were your daughter. The most sickening thing is that the offender wouldn’t have even been on the streets if all men were DNA registered, because police had his DNA from two previous rape offences. This is a story that recounts itself over and over again. There are so many instances of similar circumstances which need never have happened. Always that same scenario, police have a profile, but no name. The M25 rapist was another. However, the list is endless. If you are not a fan of this idea, think to yourself, if this were my child that will be saved, would I be in favour? I’m sure we know the answer. I for one would gladly volunteer my DNA for the records, because I want to see society made safer for all and I want to see crime eradicated as much as possible. To me, this is an obvious and logical step towards achieving that goal and I would expect all decent people to agree. Now is a good time for everyman to stand up and be counted. We have the understanding and the technology! All we need is the will!
A task of this magnitude will obviously involve a serious amount of manpower and is perhaps quite daunting, however, we should not be put off. Think of all the man-hours that go into catching just one serial-offender, sometimes hundreds of officers from many different police forces. In the case of the 'M25' serial rapist detailed above, hundreds of officers from five different police forces.
We wouldn't even have to necessarily register all men to begin with. Those between the age of eighteen and fifty would cover most offences. Even voluntary registration would be better than no registration. The more people on the database the more people police can rule out from any subsequent inquiry. It would all help and would all be steps towards a safer society. However, ideally everyone should be profiled and registered. This will yield a definite reduction in crime and, ultimately, great savings in the cost of solving any crime.
Not everybody is in favour of this kind of scheme because they argue that it is an infringement of one's rights. However, unless you have anything to hide, it's not much different to having your teeth on record with your dentist or, in fact, having any of your details recorded. In fact, most of our details are already on a computer somewhere, and if you have a bank account, driving license, insurance policy, national insurance number, mortgage, even a library card, you're already a marked person, so what difference does it make? If we can save lives, cut crime significantly, eliminate the kind of trauma detailed below and save money all at the same time, in my book there is not much one can say to justify not doing it!
How Sad Are We For Not Doing More!
Society commits a crime in itself when we have the means to prevent this and yet fail to act. In the year two thousand, sixteen year old Leanne Tiernan disappeared on her way home from a Christmas shopping trip. She was abducted, killed, and shoved in a freezer for nine months, before her body was eventually found discarded in woodland. Along with many other similar incidents in this wonderful society of ours, this tragedy could have been avoided, and she would still be alive today, if everybody was DNA registered. The perpetrator of the crime, John Taylor, age forty-six, had previously committed at least two rapes, and that's just what we know about. He could have committed any number of other offences. Police had his DNA profile on record, but no idea of who he was. Consequently, he was able to go on and commit the second rape and then abduct and murder Leanne.
Both of these acts could have been avoided if DNA registration was a fact of life. This is only one tragic isolated example of the devastation that permeates the fabric of our society because we don't do as much as we could to help eradicate this kind of thing and make our society a safer place for our women and our children! A massive amount of effort went into trying to find Leanne, many officers from different forces, but nothing was found. She had simply disappeared. This is how it was for those nine months until the body was eventually found - there was absolutely no clue as to what had happened. The loss, the worry, the desperation, the agony, the uncertainty, the massive financial cost of so many police manhours, the unimaginable devastation to her family and friends - all so easily avoidable with a simple change of policy! Whose fault? Yes! It is the fault of John Taylor, a sub-standard specimen of a human-being that we could all do without in our society! However, it is also our fault, because we could do much more to help prevent this kind of tragedy, but currently, we don't! This kind of tragedy can never be reversed, however, it can be prevented in future!
A Letter to the News Shopper About The M25 Rapist
Apart from the fact that if men were DNA catalogued it would make potential offenders think twice before committing such crimes, and would inevitably put some off, thereby saving some women and children from undergoing such ordeals, the 'M25' serial rapist, who has been active during the year 2002, would have been caught by now, because police have his DNA profile. However, because he is not on the database, they still have no way of knowing who he is. Consequently, he is able to go on to commit further crime. His latest victim is a fourteen-year-old girl. If anyone objects to DNA registration, perhaps they would like to justify the reasons as to why to this young girl, knowing at the same time that she could otherwise have been spared the ordeal. Not to mention all the other victims that also could have otherwise been spared such an experience in the past.
This man's youngest victim was just ten years old. For anyone who wants to complain about infringement of rights, I have to ask, what is your problem? If you're not in favour of this, perhaps you would like to be on the receiving end of having one of your children kidnapped and interfered with, or even murdered, by some sick pervert, who, if everybody was DNA registered, could have been previously identified and removed from normal society? If we want to eradicate sex crime in our society, we need to take some radical and effective steps. It is no good doing nothing and hoping it will go away on its own, because it will not. We must act! Otherwise, we are not being responsible towards our women and children and are just inviting this kind of devastating behaviour to carry on. DNA registration would yield an immediate reduction in instances of rape and serious crime. If it were put to the vote, I would sincerely hope that the majority of men would only be too pleased, knowing that this will contribute towards a safer society for our women and children.