Programmes such as CSI have actually been unhelpful to the field of forensics, as they’ve given the public an inaccurate view of what can be done. This can be problematic when having to present evidence in court, says Dr Peter Gill, an expert visiting from the UK.
Dr Gill, who was the first to demonstrate that is here to work with other forensic experts at ESR, including Dr Sally Harbison.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“New Zealand now has just over 105,000 samples in its database, and it’s about to expand.
“Police powers will soon widen to take DNA samples from suspects, samples that will be included in the databank for possible use in profiling.
“One of the pioneers of forensic DNA use, Dr Peter Gill, is in New Zealand to work with forensics experts at Environmental Science and Research.
“He told reporters at a conference today that while television programmes had highlighted the science, they were in fact a hindrance to those presenting evidence in courtrooms.”