Shandong college students DNA-tested in theft probe   

宿舍失窃全校男生被验DNA 山东滨州警方此举遭质疑

(ECNS) -- All the male students at a college in Shandong province have been asked to undergo DNA tests in an investigation of dormitory theft, the Southern Weekly reports.

Reporters have learned that the department of Chinese Language and Culture at Binzhou University sent a text message through Fetion, a type of telecommunication software, asking all male students in the department to gather next day for blood samples.

Other departments issued the same notice.

The local police bureau said 35 computers and 20 mobile phones worth more than 200,000 yuan ($32,676) had been stolen from student dormitories.

Students have a responsibility to co-ordinate with us to find the culprits, the police added.

Xiao Chenghai, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said police usually examine DNA samples to help discover who has committed a crime among several suspects, while the Binzhou police resorted to a large-scale DNA test. "Following their logic, should all Beijingers give blood samples when a theft occurs?"

Yang Lixin, a professor at Renmin University, said that currently there are no detailed regulations on DNA testing, leaving privacy issues unaddressed.

The report estimated that DNA tests on more than 5,000 male students might cost as much as 50,000 yuan.