Police say DNA backlog at forensic laboratories is being dealt with 26 April 2021 - 11:31 Image: 123RF/Felipe Caparros Cruz
The SA Police Service management has reassured the nation that while the backlog in the forensic laboratories is being handled with the urgency it deserves, priority is given to DNA samples required for court cases, especially those related to gender-based violence (GBV) cases, and DNA samples needed for the identification of people for burials.
Last month parliament’s police portfolio committee was told the DNA testing backlog increased from 117,000 in December to close to 173,000 in the first week of March.
There were also reports about the disappearance of millions of forensic exhibits at the national forensic DNA database due to the property control and exhibit management (PCEM) system being shut down by the service provider in June 2020.