Tuesday 22 June 2010

The Standard is right

No seriously!

Read Eddie's post on Why you don’t give the State too much power. Its about the police abusing their powers to take DNA samples. Eddie ends by saying
The Police should never have been given the power to take DNA off people at such a low threshold. It should be handled by an independent group and only on conviction. Letting the Police take DNA off anyone they arrest gives them too much incentive to bend the rules, and that seems to be happening.
Yes incentives matter, even for the police. We need greater controls on on when and why the police can take DNA samples.

Also you do have to ask why only the Greens and Maori opposed the law change that gave the police these powers. Civil liberties don't appear to have many supporters in Parliament these days.

No Right Turn also notes that the police have gone Fishing for DNA. Every so often even the left are right.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Definitely. Except that Labour also voted for the DNA legislation.

Only the Greens and Maori opposed asset forfeiture; they also opposed the DNA bill. ACT supported both. Post queued for tomorrow morning asking whether ACT really is liberal....

Anonymous said...

LOL at the people who leave a "ton" of DNA behind every time they visit the hairdresser and get excited about a few specks of blood.
Want some DNA of me? I couldn't care less.
If the cops want to frame anyone they can.