Police will no longer need court approval to get DNA samples from suspects under new powers to be granted as part of the Labor government's strategy to tackle law and order.
Currently police can only forcibly obtain a sample from a suspect with a court order if a person refuses.
![Illustration: Judy Green](/web/20170512223243im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/5/d/8/s/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt5c5l.png/1481052327141.jpg)
But under the new powers, Victoria police will be able to collect DNA from a person, aged over 15, suspected of committing an indictable offence - including burglary, theft, sex offences, assaults and murder - without court approval.
Premier Daniel Andrews has been under increasing pressure to tackle rising crime and to neutralise attacks that his Labor government is weak on crime.
It is understood that the powers were requested by Police Command as well as local police officers.
DNA samples have been proven to be effective in dealing with common crimes such as burglary and car theft and more reliable than finger prints.
There is also hope that it will help solve cold cases and speed up investigations.
Under the plan to be introduced to parliament in the next six months, senior police officers will be required to authorise a DNA sample to be taken from a suspect in cases where forensic evidence is relevant to the offence.
![Victoria Police are set to get new powers to obtain DNA samples without court approval](/web/20170512223243im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/t/7/7/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt5c5l.png/1492766522704.jpg)
The government says that the move will reduce the administrative strain on the courts. Samples will have to be destroyed if the person is not charged or found not guilty.
"It will help police to identify criminals, save critical time during investigations and potentially help solve cold cases," Attorney-General Martin Pakula said.
![Attorney-General Martin Pakula](/web/20170512223243im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/k/u/6/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gt5c5l.png/1481010913420.jpg)
"This legislation will make it easier for police to collect DNA and solve crimes."
The new powers are part of a week-long focus on law and order by the Andrews government, including the recruitment of 2729 extra police.
Community concern over crime has now reached levels not seen since the last days of the Brumby government, according to new data from pollster Ipsos.
Ipsos' voter sentiment survey shows that 40 per cent of voters think crime is the most pressing issue facing Victoria.
When Labor was elected in 2014, crime was seen as a top issue by 29 per cent. Back in 2010 when Ted Baillieu swept the ALP from power, it was also 40 per cent.
In another Ipsos survey of 2500 Victorians about what makes the state a good place to live, 69 per cent of voters said feeling safe was the most important issue.
"The number of Victorians reporting crime as a top issue facing our state started to pick up in early 2016. Concerns became so acute by mid-year that it overtook healthcare as the top issue facing Victoria," Daniel Evans, Deputy Managing Director Ipsos Public Affairs said.
"Since then, concerns around 'crime' have continued to rise to the point where there is a clear distance between it and the next most important issues facing our state."
"People who live in Melbourne's West (5.4 out of 10) and South-East (5.7) provided the lowest ratings for feeling safe in their local areas."