Can the Police access DNA in the WA DNA Bank for criminal investigations or forensic testing?
The WA DNA Bank is not a facility for storing DNA collected from crime scenes. Nor is it a facility for storing DNA collected from private citizens unless they have participated in a research study led by medical researchers who have obtained all the appropriate ethics clearances to conduct the study. The WA DNA Bank is bound by the Commonwealth Privacy Act which severely restricts access by any other group such as the police (or employers, insurers, courts). The WA DNA Bank may be required to release DNA by law (for example, if requested by a court order, or emergency situations where information is needed to stop a serious or imminent threat to someone’s life, health or safety).
