New Zealand’s DNA laws are out of date, and lack coherency following a series of amendments. The Law Commission has recommended replacing the current law with a new law that is coherent, up-to-date, and culturally appropriate,” she said. “The Commission recommends permitting the use of techniques seen overseas like ‘dragnets’ (asking every person fitting a description, for example ‘male in Christchurch’, to provide a DNA sample); familial testing (searching the databank for a similar-but-not-identical sample, which might indicate that the similar sample is related to the offender); and genealogy searching (using DNA people have sent to companies like ancestry.com).
Police.
Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
Whānau describe their sons walking alone in broad daylight, when police have approached and insisted they take their picture.
Marlene Harris said it happened to her son while he was walking home alone one afternoon in Masterton two years ago.
He was just 15 years old at the time. He was just walking from his dad s house back to my house and he was just minding his own business, walking along the street, she said. From what he can remember, there were two cops in the car. They just pulled up beside him and said that they needed to get his photo taken, or they would need to take him in.
Wairarapa youths stopped and photographed by police
20 Dec, 2020 07:01 PM
5 minutes to read
RNZ
By Te Aniwa Hurihanganui and Hamish Cardwell, of RNZ.
Police in Wairarapa have admitted to illegally taking photos of youths, after multiple reports were made of officers stopping and photographing young Māori on the street.
Whānau said their sons were walking alone in broad daylight, when police approached and insisted they take their picture.
Marlene Harris said it happened to her son while he was walking home alone one afternoon in Masterton two years ago.
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He was just 15 years old at the time. He was just walking from his dad s house back to my house and he was just minding his own business, walking along the street, she said.
He was just 15 years old at the time. He was just walking from his dad s house back to my house and he was just minding his own business, walking along the street, she said. From what he can remember, there were two cops in the car. They just pulled up beside him and said that they needed to get his photo taken, or they would need to take him in.
Harris said he was not really given a choice. They did ask for permission, but it was more, can we have your photo taken? . And that followed by, if you don t, then we will have to take you into the station .