THE HAGUE - Cooperation among the DNA databases of the countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands has led to the resolution of dozens of serious crimes since 2018. By sharing DNA data between the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the BES islands, a total of 256 matches were found in criminal investigations by the end of 2023.
The 2023 annual report from the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) highlights the success of this collaboration. It allows genetic evidence from crime scenes to be cross-referenced with DNA profiles stored in the database. Last year, nine matches were found between the Netherlands and Curaçao, six with the BES islands, four with Sint Maarten, and two with Aruba.
Additionally, numerous local matches occur annually within the individual databases of each island.
“Most successful matches involve ‘trace-to-person’ cases, where DNA traces such as blood, hair, or skin cells match a suspect's profile in the database,” the report states. In 2023, 113 such matches were recorded in the BES islands, 185 in Sint Maarten, 87 in Aruba, and 42 in Curaçao. These numbers reflect a stable and sometimes increasing trend compared to previous years.
The NFI emphasized that the collaboration significantly enhances the detection and prosecution of crimes across the Kingdom. The DNA databases remain strictly regulated, containing only profiles obtained from criminal investigations as mandated by law.