Demand for more DNA testing resources and facilities

Forensic testing for the New South Wales Police Force has reached a point where it has become so popular that it is reaching beyond facility and resource capabilities.

The government's Department of Analytical Laboratories is currently unable to process the number of cases presented to them by the Police Force and is thus passing the backlog onto another corporation.

Genetics Technologies Ltd has announced signing the three-year DNA testing contract with the NSW Police Force after a three-month outsourcing trial in mid-2006. The Australian corporation will focus itself on testing samples from 'volume crimes', such as breaking and entering, theft of items from within motor vehicles, motor vehicle theft and malicious damages offences, in order to allow an increased focus on more serious criminal cases.

The corporation's CEO Michael Ohanessian stated that "GTG is well placed to assist the NSW Police Force with its DNA testing. We have developed a highly skilled, efficient and cost-effective forensic testing facility that has a proven track record of delivering quality test results with a short turnaround time."

"Mounting workloads may create significant frustrations for police, the judiciary and the public. As has been successfully demonstrated in the US and UK, the outsourcing of DNA forensics testing is a logical and cost-effective way to assist police forces to manage the growing demand for DNA analysis."

The genetics and genomics corporation - founded on research, testing and licensing - has been at the forefront of DNA testing and research, having patented strategies of utilising non-coding variation of DNA for analysis and comparison. This would enable assessment of DNA characteristics across a spectrum of species.

The Police Force is not the only group to feel the effects of increased interest. Claude Roux, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), made special note of this steady increase as undergraduate student numbers rose from 22 students in 1994 to over 16,000 students at any one time today across a broad choice of institutes.

He also noted that this increase has been occurring for a number of years, not only due to popular culture television shows, but due to the technology's growth and increasing familiarity. It was finally most noticeable in 2000-2001 when these shows first aired in Australia, creating the 'icing on the cake'.

The shows themselves have experienced incredible growth and popularity, presenting forensic testing and research as incredibly glamorous. These television shows include Criminal Minds, Bones, Law & Order, Silent Witness, Waking the Dead, and seven seasons of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - along with NCIS and CSI: Miami.

On its own, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has inspired children's holiday and educational programs, PC games, never-ending merchandise, and a steady increase in the interest of criminology and forensic science degrees among young university-seeking students. Study and research begins in the areas of forensic biology, chemistry and toxicology, with over 15 tertiary institutes across Australia now offering courses, subjects and programs in these areas.

This demand for testing and research facilities will no doubt continue. Forensic science covers a vast range of specialties, each destined for future growth. The popularity of these television shows, and the growing familiarity with forensic technology, will also contribute to increasing interest in forensic science and its capabilities.

For more information regarding Genetics Technologies Ltd., visit www.gtg.com.au. For more information regarding UTS science programs and research, visit www.science.uts.edu.au.