We receive so many compliments as well as questions about our cause when riding in our DNA Project cycling shirts, that we have been asked to put our order details and design on the website again so that people can order their own cycling shirts and Join the Ride!

Please contact Maya Moodley on maya@dnaproject.co.za and she will email you the necessary details. The shirts are sold at cost at R420/shirt, excluding post and packaging.

Hope to see you on your bike soon!

with thanks

Vanessa

I came across the attached information on Identifying victims through DNA, whilst reading up on the latest developments in the USA insofar as it relates to DNA testing for criminal intelligence. This booklet explains very simply the process of identifying remains using DNA analysis and gives an overview of the process so that surviving family and friends will understand what DNA analysis can and cannot do, describes the sources of DNA that forensic scientists might use, and explains the differences between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.

For further reading, have a look at the USA’s national DNA website which they call  ‘The DNA Initiative’ and which provides “funding, training and assistance to ensure that forensic DNA reaches its full potential to solve crimes, protect the innocent and identify missing persons.”

Imagine if we had a government that not only recognised that criminal justice could be advanced through DNA technology, but actually offered Grant funding for…

• Forensic backlog reduction

• Convicted offender/arrestee backlog reduction

• Research and development

• Solving cold cases

• Post-conviction testing

• Training development and delivery

• Identifying missing persons

• DNA unit efficiency

Imagine further that we had a national DNA website, accessible by all, which advised us, quite openly on the status and statistics in respect of

• Profiles in the database

• DNA crime labs

• Backlog of samples

• Numbers of unidentified dead

• Statistics behind a match

Perhaps this is not too far fetched…. in fighting for legislation, we should also consider fighting for the right to know the status of our National DNA Database insofar as it relates to the resolution of crime, the status of our forensic labs and the statistics behind matches. We do not have a shortage of web developers in this country for the job, and putting together a website for this purpose would be relatively easy. I have noted that most countries with National DNA Databases make this information freely available to their citizens, and I would be interested to know why we shouldn’t be able to share in the same type of information once our DNA legislation has been promulgated. This will certainly be on our agenda when requests for submissions commenting on the Bill are made. What do you think?

Vanessa Lynch

Save the Date: The Secretariat for Police will be presenting the Policy Document on DNA to the Portfolio Committee for Police on the 12 June 2012 in Parliament (CT). This policy will form the basis of the 2nd Draft of the DNA Bill, which we have been told will be tabled in Parliament in September 2012.

It’s not often that an idea which has been conceptualised, actually turns into a reality, and then exceeds your expectations insofar as turning out better than you ever expected.

That is precisely what happened yesterday.

I can distinctly remember sitting in the boardroom at FoxP2 ad agency when their creative team pitched the ‘stone project’ to us. It was an ingenious way to illustrate the damage caused by non-essential, non-forensic people when entering a crime scene. How they intended to actually turn that concept into a reality was not important at that point. We were just blown away by the idea and its potential effectiveness.

Setting up through the night

For those of you who followed our Facebook and Twitter feeds yesterday at the Cape Town Train Station, you will have an idea of what I am talking about as you would have witnessed the fact that the ‘concept’ was transformed into a 8x6m large frame which quite literally spoke for itself!

Here is a lovely piece I found on the wesbite describing what transpired:

Ready to Roll at 6am

The disturbance begins..

“How do you educate people about the importance of leaving a crime scene alone? We all know the need to rubberneck, to get in all the gory details – we see it every time there’s an accident on the road. It’s human nature, no matter how undesirable.

And what about a crime scene? A crime scene where the most important thing to do is collect evidence and do everything possible to catch the criminal? That’s where the DNA Project comes in. With a great activation at Cape Town Station this morning, they showed directly how tampering with a crime scene can make it impossible to convict anyone.

The identity of the perpetrator has been lost..in this case, job well done!

The image started with a face created out of tiny pebbles, and as people walked over it, they began to degrade the image, until it couldn’t be made out any more. This physically shows people what happens when you don’t protect a crime scene.

It’s clever, it’s worth talking about and it creates a lot of buzz. That’s just the kind of advertising we like. And to top it all off – it does good at the same time. Thumbs up!”

I cannot wait to see the final video which has captured commuters walking over the box and disturbing the image using time-lapse video, which will be edited into a viral and played at high speed in under one minute as part of our awareness campaign – this will be sent over the social media network to spread awareness, so watch this space…

Carolyn Hancock explaining the importance of crime scene protection to commuters

Thanks to all the commuters who were so excited about what we were doing and who showed so much interest in what we had to say about crime scene awareness. Thanks to Cape Town Station who allowed us to use their fantastic new station to host this event. Thanks as always to our incredible funders,  the Change a Life Trust for funding the hard costs required to set up and activate this project – we could not do any of this without your support.

And thank you to the most innovative, creative and committed team at FoxP2. It has been an honour to work with such a professional and dynamic group of people and we cannot thank you all enough for showing such a deep commitment to our cause. Your creative genius will quite literally save future lives.

with thanks

Vanessa Lynch and the DNA Project team

For more photos to see how the stone project evolved click here

Please come down to the station to support this important initiative.

with thanks

Vanessa Lynch

I have just received the news that our recent crime scene awareness advert has been pulled off TV due to a handful of complaints received by some viewers.

I concede that those complaints which related to the earlier time slots given to us by DSTV which potentially exposed children to the advert, were reasonable. But may I read you one of the complaints not related to the time the ad was broadcast:

“Die DNA advertensie is vieslik! Ek was nou so ontsteld. Dit is uiters swak om so iets op my gunsteling kanaal te sien. Nee man!!”

(Rough Translation: “The DNA ad is disgusting! I was so upset now. This is very bad for me to see something like this on my favorite channel. No man!!”)

This one amused me. Picture this person sitting in their lounge outraged by the image they have just seen on TV; an image portrayed by an actor, whilst outside real people are being serially murdered and raped.  I am willing to bet you, that no outcry will be heard from this lounge in respect of the latter. But one bad image on their favourite TV channel, and they take the time to write a complaint to ensure that the advert is taken off TV.

If this kind of vociferous reaction, aggressive response and call to action was taken by more South Africans against the real, existing issue of rape and murder in our country, can you imagine what a force we would be? We could collectively stand up and insist on Parliament passing DNA legislation which makes it mandatory for all suspects to have their DNA profiles taken and entered onto a database at arrest, just as they do with fingerprints. Or we could stand up for greater crime scene awareness so that not only police but private security companies and the general public, amongst others,  stop desecrating crime scenes and destroying and damaging critical evidence that could potentially link these rapists and murderers to the crimes they have committed thus ensuring that they are prevented from doing it again. And again.

So this is what I have to say in response:

Die misdaad in SA is vieslik! Ek was nou so ontsteld. Dit is uiters swak om so iets in my gunsteling land te sien. Nee man!!

Radio 702 have asked me to discuss this on their breakfast show this Sunday @ 8.10am with Udo Carelse and I will bring this up as well as other issues that the advert has raised. (This can also be heard on Cape Talk 567am)

I am as ever an eternal optimist (why else would I do this!!??), so in ending may I say that the positive aspect is that the advert has created conversation around an issue that needs greater awareness in our country. Job well done.

Vanessa Lynch

p.s. – Ironically, this last weekend, The Weekend Argus and  Saturday Star ran a half page complimentary feature on our ad, which was neither solicited nor requested by us. They thought our ad was “Told with Conviction”. See below:

Many of you may have followed the DNA Project MTB Team over the weekend as 15 of us rode 100 km’s over some of the most beautiful (and quite treacherous!) Cape terrain in the 2012 Houw Hoek MTB tour. Have a look at our Facebook page for more photos of our ride.

I had no idea that such incredible support and awareness would be achieved through riding this event as ‘The DNA Project Team’. Our new cycle shirts were an instant hit and the distinctive blue helix’s on our shoulders soon became a trademark of the tour as everyone started recognising us as ‘The DNA Project Team’. Throughout the two day race we were constantly asked what the DNA Project was all about and by the end of the weekend, our mission to raise awareness for crime scene awareness and the importance of DNA legislation in SA had not only been achieved, but exceeded.

Thank you to the awesome DNA Project Team for their commitment to the ride and our cause. Whilst I predominantly rode with my fantastic group of 4 (we couldn’t keep up with the rest of our 11 faster team mates!), I know that out ahead, everyone was spreading the message and doing us proud.

Thank you too to all of the riders who took the time to ask us who we were and what we were doing. Together we can all make a difference in our fight against crime in SA – and what better way to do it, than to do it on a mountain bike in our magnificant country!

This weekend will see 15 mountain bikers riding 100km for the DNA Project in the Houwhoek MTB tour 2012 to raise awareness on the importance of crime scene preservation and passing DNA legislation in South Africa.

Vanessa Lynch with teammates Marina and Francesca training for the Houwhoek

I will be part of the team and will keeping everyone up to date on facebook and twitter, so watch this space and give us your support!

Stage 1 starts in Houwhoek at 08h00 on Saturday 5 May 2012. This stage includes the Lebanon, Thandi, Paul Cluver and Oak Valley single tracks (one being “Pofadder” a 100m wooden roller coaster trail, squeezed between high rocks and a waterfall) and finishes at the Houw Hoek Inn.

Stage 2 starts same time on Sunday 6 May 2012 from the Houw Hoek Inn. The route will take us down the historic Katpass, along the Botriver, on single tracks that link the four historic cottages on Bot river farm, along the Karwyderskraal gravel road.

Team members Gareth and Stuart, hoping this won't happen this weekend!

At the end of this road we get a beautiful view of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, down the Valley on single tracks, up Hamilton Russel, onto Rotary View Drive to get another stunning view of Walker Bay and the opportunity to stop at the Hamilton Russel Celebration table to have a good glass of wine to celebrate the achievement with our friends!

Catch us in the mountains!

Vanessa and The DNA Project Team

This is our fabulous new cycling shirt designed for us by Marina Brinkmann – anyone wanting to order a shirt to help us raise awareness please contact Maya Moodley on maya@dnaproject.co.za (shirts will be sold at cost price at approximately R420/shirt excl. post and packaging).

The SA Police Services Forensic Services division will be delivering presentations at the UCT Campus on the following days. All talks will take place from 13h00 – 13h45.

Please note that different topics will be focused on during each presentation, and that the same presentation is not going to be repeated on different days.

Wednesday, 2 May: Crime Scene Investigation – LS 2B, Leslie Social Science

**The following topics will be focused on over the following days: Question Documents, Ballistics, Chemistry and Biology (DNA) sections. (We will inform you as soon as we have more details.)

Monday, 7 May – LS 2C, Leslie Social Science

Wednesday, 9 May – LS 2C, Leslie Social Science

Thursday, 10 May – LT 2, Hoerikwaggo

Contact careers.service@uct.ac.za if you require more information.