Dubbed the Hwaseong murders, the case of a serial killer who raped and murdered 10 women in the South Korean city between 1986 and 1991 earned even bigger notoriety when a man was eventually proved innocent through DNA tests after spending 20 years in prison for the crimes.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) looked at such cases and also studied DNA collection systems of foreign jurisdictions such as South Australia, England and the Netherlands, in a move to strengthen law enforcement capabilities here.
The ministry hopes to expand the DNA database by collecting samples from individuals involved in a wider range of crimes – one of the main amendments in the Registration of Criminals (Amendment) Bill announced in Parliament last Monday.
This means the police could soon collect blood samples, hair follicles and saliva from individuals involved in eligible crimes such as unlawful stalking, mischief and drink driving.
On looking at practices abroad, an MHA spokesman said: “It helped us to distil good international practices, to enhance the crime-solving effectiveness of our law enforcement agencies while balancing concerns over personal privacy and data.
“We did not just directly mirror the practices of other countries but, where appropriate, amended their practices to suit our context.”
Lawyer Shashi Nathan, who heads the criminal litigation practice at Withers KhattarWong, acknowledges the merits of the proposed amendments.
He said: “It is always good to look at other jurisdictions to see how their best practices may be used to improve the system in Singapore.
This story is from the August 07, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the August 07, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
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