‎Brazil News

Posted on 01/13/2022 17:54 Updated 01/13/2022 17:55

National Bank of Genetic Profiles has already assisted in more than 3 thousand criminal investigations

The bank is coordinated by the Ministry of Justice and has had investments reinforced, totaling BRL 150 million since 2019 - Photo: MJSP

 

With about 102,000 genetic profiles of convicted criminals and traces collected at crime scenes, the National Bank of Genetic Profiles has already assisted in more than 3,400 criminal investigations in Brazil. The bank is coordinated by the Ministry of Justice and has had investments reinforced, totaling BRL 150 million since 2019.

 

“[The bank] represents a great advance in the fight against crime as it provides a greater number of crimes elucidation, especially sexual crimes and crimes against life, effecting justice in all these cases and reducing impunity in our country” , said the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Anderson Torres.

 

“In 2018, the BNPG totaled 7,000 registered convicts and, today, we have more than 102,000. The number is almost 15 times higher than recorded. Since the beginning of President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, the ministry has invested around R$150 million to strengthen the Network, which has already assisted in more than 3,400 criminal investigations in Brazil”, he highlighted.

 

Collection of profiles and identification of accused

Created in 2013, the bank assists criminal investigations through expert DNA evidence. With the material, it is possible to identify the authorship of unsolved criminal acts, prove the innocence of suspects and even relate a given case to other investigations in other police spheres.

 

Any crime in which the offender leaves biological material is likely to be elucidated using the information stored in the bank. Even in crimes against property, homicides committed with a firearm, it is not uncommon for the criminal to leave his biological material at the scene.

 

Genetic material is collected by forensics at the crime scene or from the victim's body. In addition to examinations carried out by victims of violence at the Legal Medical Institute (IML), the collection is also carried out on those convicted in the cases provided for by law.

 

Most of the criminal profiles stored are linked to people involved in violent and sexual abuse cases. This week, the author of the murder of the girl Beatriz Angélica Mota, which took place in 2015, in Pernambuco, was identified with the help of genetic material stored in the bank. The man is in prison for other crimes, so his information was already in the database of the State Bank of Genetic Profiles.

 

“This is a strategic project of the Ministry of Justice that aims to help the elucidation of crimes, criminal investigations in Brazil. Once again we obtained a positive result, we were able to identify the author of this barbaric crime”, highlighted Minister Anderson Torres.

 

national participation

All 27 units of the federation have a forensic genetics laboratory in their official forensic institutions. Each state joins the network to feed the national genetic profile bank. Currently, 22 laboratories routinely supply the national bank. Through this central repository, all forensic institutions are able to share and compare genetic profiles obtained in different regions of the country.

 

Another crime that had the help of this tool was the identification of one of the accused of having participated in the robbery of the transport company, in 2016, in Baixada Santista (SP). He was arrested in 2019 and it was possible to identify his genetic material at five different crime scenes.

 

How it works

Traces such as hair, blood and other biological material are collected at the scene of the crime or on the victim's body and in examinations carried out on the victims at the Legal Medical Institute (IML).

 

The collection is also made on those convicted of serious and heinous crimes. From a law passed in 2012, it was determined that it is mandatory to identify the genetic profile of those convicted of crimes with serious violence, such as homicides, robbery, kidnapping and rape, or in cases that are determined by the judge.

 

Once the states join the network and feed the bank of national genetic profiles, institutions are able to cross-reference data.

 

Category

Justice and Security