If you consider the disastrous roll-out of the national ID card system, one can only shudder at the potential in this new move. Commented on at length by many a blogger and even held out to dry by the dailies eventually, the conflicting announcements, lack of preparedness and ill-assembled systems deployed to manage the ID card process resulted in protracted, and comic, confusion on a huge scale. Imagine a repeat performance only accompanied by men in lab coats swabbing our cheeks and pecking little hunks of us off to be labelled and then mixed up.
But my irration passed as I read the story (once again, it was The National wot had the skinny) and saw what I can only describe as eminently sensible comments from the Chairman of the Emirates DNA Working Group, Dr. Ahmed Marzooki. He talked to The National about a possible 10-year programme, with initiatives to set up a legal framework to deal with issues of individual privacy and also to look at facilities, procedures, staffing and the like.
Marzooki also pointed out that the imperative to collect the data wasn't just criminal investigation (although that surely must be the most important driver) but also to be able to identify people in cases such as natural disaster and other tragedies - in fact, just back in August, a process was started by Dubai police to try and identify the relatives of eleven men who were killed in a fire villa in Dubai's Naif area. Storing the remains, contacting relatives, taking samples and shipping them must be a laborious and immensely expensive process - the database would mean an end to that type of investigation and speed positive identification for families and friends.
So I came away impressed with this clear evidence of quality of thought and with the feeling that if Marzooki, the man who is Interpol's only Middle Eastern representative, is at the front of this one, we may just see the lessons of the ID card roll-out learned.
We may even see the data integrated with the ID card biometric data, albeit with access controls in place. We may...
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6 comments:
They could get the DNA out of the blood sample, compulsorily donated for mandatory HIV testing as part of the residence visa process.
Taking mugshots and dabs could be done at the same time too, resulting in only one visit to Officaldom per residence visa renewal.
Imagine that, eh? EIDA and the Immigration people actually working together to produce a single ID cum Labour card.
I must say, using the full technical term lends this post something je ne sai quoi...
This is massive. And it's going to take time.
Criminals, on the other hand (and if we're to believe the novels) are adapting.
Nick, you're absolutely right. I thought it added gravitas as well as a sort of decorative effect, a little like a subtle, distressed gilding.
My wife was discussing a possible business sponsorship with a senior policeman. Later, she mentioned how impressed she was that suspects had been named and arrested in the murder of an expat whose body was found in the desert. He told her that they traced crime scene DNA to a match on DNA taken during the residence visa blood test. So any expat with residence already has their DNA in the system. Big Brother is testing you.
(Off topic, the verification word is 'bint sm': curious)
I think there are many way and scientific tests or techniques used in the investigation are used to stopped these kinds of crimes. But my question is that there is now common check against these crimes.I my point of view it is the responsibility of the any country government that they should be overcome them.
Regards,
Mazhar Shah.
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