My apologies for not writing sooner, but it has been a whirlwind two days and we have not had a minute to spare.
Suffice to say that this has been the most incredible experience for both of us, and presentation after presentation brings with it new technologies, ethical arguments, and more and more crime fighting potential for this technology. I will need to write a comprehensive report next week ,as there have been so many interesting talks from which we can learn so much. Interpol is a wonderful gateway for this type of conference and the sharing of DNA information from all corners of the earth, can only benefit us, as there is so much information to put on the table.
I have just listened to a novel way to catch a thief, whereby in Finland blood from a mosquito found in a car was analysed for DNA and it matched the suspect they were looking for. Just before that we heard about the potential of familial searching, which as useful a tool as it is, obviously brings with it its ethical issues which were discussed at length.
We heard about the UAE being the first nation to start a population database with a mere 1 billion US$ at their disposal and no crime to speak of….but this is being done to ensure there will be no crime in the future!! If only. We did ask the head of that unit if he wasn’t interested in possibly starting a 1 billion US$ lab in SA should their lab not be too busy!!!
I only have 5 minutes before I need to leave for the next function, so I shall take time tomorrow en route home after the last morning at Interpol, to write about the Conference in more detail.
Vanessa
ps. my presentation went really well!