Saturday 12 September 2009

They’re Getting Bolder…

Every newborn child should have their DNA taken and stored in a national database, Colchester’s top cop believes.
Well, it’s nice of him to publicly reveal himself as the sort of man who believes we are all sheep to be tagged until the slaughterman comes to call…
Chief Supt Tim Newcomb told a public meeting DNA at burglary scenes often helped police catch previous offenders.
Yes, there’s the operative word there, Tim-Nasty-And-Dim, ‘previous’.

In other words, they did something that made them criminals, you caught them, took their DNA and then, when the useless justice system let them out, you caught them a bit quicker next time when they burgled again.

Quite how you get from that - habitual criminals commit crimes - to ‘everyone must be tagged at birth’, I don’t know.

In other words, what you meant was, ‘All you serfs of the state are just potential criminals – maybe not yet, but you will be, it’s just a matter of time’.

It’s a wonder he didn’t add ‘And it’ll be ten years in an Isocube when we finally catch you, punks’…
Mr Newcomb, commander of the Eastern division, which covers Colchester and Tendring, accepted that his view was probably a minority one.
You’re not kidding…

But hang on, did he mean ‘a minority view among the public’? Because, I doubt it’s a minority view among top cops.
He told Essex Police Authority’s meeting at Colchester Charter Hall: “DNA evidence is first class. I would probably be quite happy for DNA to be taken at birth and recorded on a national register.”
Luckily, you don’t get to make those decisions. Yet…
Isabella Sankey, director of policy at Liberty, said: “If we follow the Chief Superintendent’s logic we will be bar-coding babies at birth before too long.

“Thankfully those who argue in favour of a universal DNA database are out of step – last year our DNA retention regime was ruled unlawful.”
Yes, and they’re still dithering over what to do about that, hoping that it’ll get overturned.

Still, at least the people of Colchester have their elected representatives to stand up for their rights and tell Tim-Nasty-And-Dim to take a long walk off a short pier and…

Oh:
Colchester MP Bob Russell (Ed: Yes indeed, he of the horticulturally-challenged wife) said innocent people should not have DNA kept on record unless a law is made to allow it.
Oh, there’s a rousing defence of personal liberty, Bob.

Thanks for that…

But wait! The stooopid is strong in this one:
He said: “There is a case to be made for everybody’s DNA to be on record for bodies found at sea or other like cases.”
No. No, there’s not…

If bodies are found at sea they can be matched to the relatives who reported them missing at sea. We don’t need a giant bloody database of everyone’s DNA just in case someone takes a header off the Isle of Wight ferry!

3 comments:

Dr Melvin T Gray said...

We may ask ourselves which is the more likely - a genuine wish for such loss of human dignity - or the reflection of Tim-Nasty-And-Dim's ambitions for personal furtherance?

JuliaM said...

A little from column A, a little from column B...

David Gillies said...

There's a strong case to be made for an incoming administration to sack every copper in the land above the rank of Chief Super and fill the holes from the ranks.