DNA to fit face to the crime

Within three years, police will be able to obtain details of a criminal's face, such as the shape of his nose and eye colour, from DNA samples, a conference was told yesterday.

Advances in DNA testing, usually obtained from saliva, blood, semen and hair roots, will revolutionise crime-fighting, the Association Of Chief Police Officers' conference (Acpo) in Cardiff heard. Acpo and the Forensic Science Service intend to expand the use of DNA eventually to cover all crimes and hope to have 5 million samples on the national database by the turn of the century. At present, samples are taken by officers investigating offences of a sexual nature, burglary and violence.