A pioneering DNA tool that could help boost identification of sex offenders by more than a fifth will be rolled out across the UK, the Home Office has announced.
The tech, known as Y-STR profiling, is used to pick out tiny amounts of material left behind by a male attacker which would otherwise be almost undetectable among female DNA.
It’s expected the expansion will mean the police can reopen some historic sex crime cases, while also giving them a broader toolkit for new investigations.
In Singapore, the use of Y-STR profiling led to an increase of more than 20% in the identification of potential offenders.
Lawyer Harriet Wistrich, the founding director and CEO of the Centre for Women’s Justice, said the technique was ‘proven to be a really, really important tool in cases involving rape and homicide’.
She told Metro about a case she had been involved with, involving the historic murder of a child 30 years beforehand.
Harriet said: ‘They were pushing for a different suspect who turned out not to be guilty, but they eventually did this Y-STR testing and then came back with a much smaller sample of potential contenders.
‘They invited various men that were in the region to provide DNA, and that then led them eventually to the person who was ultimately convicted of the murder.’
Today’s announcement comes ahead of the government’s landmark strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Over the weekend, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also said specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams will be set up at every police force in England and Wales.
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Domestic abuse protection orders (DAPOs) are also going to be rolled out across the two countries following a trial over the past year.
The full strategy is expected to be published on Thursday.
According to the Home Office, it will constitute the ‘largest crackdown on violence perpetrated against women and girls in British history’.
What is Y-STR profiling?
The ‘Y’ in the name ‘Y-STR’ refers to the Y chromosome which differentiates biological males (who have an X and a Y chromosome) and biological females (who have two X chromosomes).
Meanwhile, ‘STR’ stands for ‘short tandem repeat’, which is the name of a marker that’s found on chromosomes.
So ‘Y-STR profiling’ involves looking at those specific types of markers that only appear on Y chromosomes.
These markers don’t have as much information as other parts of DNA that forensics teams look at.
But because they only appear on male chromosomes, they’re much easier to pick out in a sample with a mix of male and female cellular material – meaning this type of test is particularly useful in sexual offence cases.
Mahmood said: ‘This government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency.
‘For too long, these crimes have been considered a fact of life. That’s not good enough. We will halve it in a decade.
‘We will deploy the latest tech to catch vile rapists and sex offenders, stopping them in their tracks. Abusers will have nowhere to hide.’
The latest move will mean Y-STR DNA profiles are added to the National DNA Database for the first time, following similar moves by other countries including Austria, Italy, China and Singapore.
Previously, comparisons needed to be made on a case-by-case basis as crime stains and reference samples from arrested men were not kept on file.
Laura McCarthy, a trustee at the Women’s Trust charity, said the tool ‘could be a significant step forward in identifying repeat perpetrators and strengthening investigations into sexual violence’.
However, she added that ‘technology alone is not enough’.
She said: ‘Many survivors already face significant barriers to reporting, and without clear safeguards and survivor-centred communication, even well-intentioned initiatives risk increasing fear, distress or disengagement.
‘This is especially true if historic cases are investigated.’
The Home Office has also confirmed today that every area of England will get a dedicated referral service for women and girls who have been abused by 2029, under a new NHS initiative.
Up to £50 million is also being put towards providing specialist therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse.
That will involve the expansion of the ‘Child House’ model – providing multi-agency support, so children only need to share their experiences once – from one site in north London to every NHS region in England.
It is expected the VAWG strategy published on Thursday will place a heavy focus on education and prevention in schools, particularly targeting boys.
The release of the plans was delayed three times this year, drawing criticism from MPs who said it risked sending the message that action was not a government priority.
Asked about the delays last week, Minister for Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips told Metro she wanted the strategy to be ‘as good and ambitious as it could be’.
She said: ‘I’m not going to undo in 18 months what is millennia of the expectation of men’s violence towards women and girls.
‘It is going to take time, and my message to victims is that the strategy that we are launching isn’t the end.
‘It is the beginning of, and shows the commitment of a government who will do everything we possibly can to culturally change this.’
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