Worthless review
That was quickly done wasn't it - so much crime, so little time! But specious, one suspects. Unless you read VERY carefully and conservatively you will miss what is being said. No wonder it was trumpted by BBC radio this morning - CRIME LATEST: SUSPECT TECHNIQUE WALKS FREE.
Here is what you need to understand the babble.
"scientifically robust" - theoretically ok, but totally dodgy in the hands of numpties.
"appropriate for use in police investigations." - but not in determining whether to prosecute or to submit as evidence.
"A separate review of past convictions by the Crown Prosecution Service found no problems" - a fundamental principle of natural justice is that no man is allowed to be judge in his own trial. Hello, CPS...?
"DNA techniques offer the police service an invaluable tool in identifying and eliminating suspects" - illustrating the postmodern approach to policing: the criminal is the one who ends up with the conviction (our bases say so), not necessarily identical with the one who committed the crime. Is it still an offence to impersonate a police officer? Hello, 999...?
"He recommends setting up national standards for training, equipment, and analytical procedures." - Apple pie and motherhood rule. The real meaning is that as used as present, it contradicts all the above claims. Illustrating the postmodern approach to scientific scrutiny - first principle: don't bite the hand that feeds. Hello, is there a natural philosopher in the lab...?
"Juries should be given special guidance by a new independent expert body on how to interpret LCN evidence". Clearly forgetting to add "in other words people like me, who can turn around Home Office jobs at a good speed and with the right answers", and quite oblivious to the current unsatisfactory status of "expert witnesses" in giving evidence - especially in relation to statistics and probability. A professional chancer then. So is there an expert witness in the black box...? Or is it a cat and black.
I submit that no "expert" be allowed anywhere near a witness box unless no-one can be found who can present a case as to the probability of that witness being any less than 100% correct.
"Juries should be given special guidance" - as loaded a construction as the prosecution could wish for. If a prosecution rests on technical evidence, then the significance of that to the prosecution case should be put in open court - from the judge presiding to the public gallery. Otherwise juries may as well be given guidance mafia-style. Whacky Jacky has her way.
"Too much focus has been put on reassuring the public" - illustrating the postmodern approach to public interest scrutiny bodies, unless the quote has been pulled out of context.
"It has been used in several high profile investigations worldwide" - and remains inadmissible in several countries.
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@James > "Remember that 96% of the hunman genome is shared with chimpanzees so that's 96% which can be ignored immediately."
Ignoring your typo, there is a murder mystery by Edgar Allen Poe you haven't read - it might change your mind about that 96%.