Combined DNA Index System (Codis), a cutting edge software, has been introduced in Bangladesh to expand the existing capabilities of the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory and to help police and other crime-fighting agencies to better identify perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The software will also be used to index collected DNA and identify the remains of hundreds of the victims of the Rana Plaza collapse, which left 1137 people dead and thousands injured.This will enable the authorities to compensate the family members in a shorter time.
On Thursday an installation and graduation ceremony was held at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Addressing the programme, US Ambassador Dan Mozena said: “Bangladesh now joins more than 45 countries around the world that use the Codis technology. I’m confident that this technology will prove equally useful here in Bangladesh.”
He said Codis enables laboratories to store, compare and match DNA records so DNA evidence collected from a crime scene can be used to solve the crime. It combines forensic science with the latest computer technology, making an effective crime-busting weapon.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has provided the Bangladeshi DNA profiling Lab with the latest Codis software, which is deployed throughout America and in many countries, Mozena said.
This new DNA analysis capability will be particularly effective in solving violent crimes against women, he said.
In the US, Codis is used in 190 laboratories to help both federal and state law enforcement agencies in fighting crime and has aided over 200,000 investigations there. It can also be used to exonerate those wrongly charged or convicted of heinous crimes. Codis can also be used during natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes.
Mozena said the new capability will pay huge dividends in the immediate future, not only by identifying victims of Rana Plaza collapse, but also by solving violent crimes all across Bangladesh.
From now on the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Multi-Sectoral Programme on Violence against Women will be able to operate a DNA database utilising the same platform as many of its Asian counterparts.
Once Cordis is installed, the Multi-Sectoral Program on Violence Against Women and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs will join more than 75 international laboratories using the software for the management of their DNA data.