South African lawmakers approved the DNA bill on Tuesday, a move seen as a big step towards removing dangerous criminals from the country's streets.

The bill, known as the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill, seeks to provide for the taking of specified bodily samples from certain categories for the purposes of forensic DNA analysis.

It also provides for the use of forensic DNA profiles in the investigation of crime and use of such profiles in proving the innocence or guilt of persons during a prosecution or the exoneration of convicted persons.

Annelize van Wyk, chairperson of the parliamentarian Portfolio Committee on Police, said she was aware that the Bill would not eradicate crime but it would contribute immensely to crime- fighting efforts.

The committee said in a statement that its members expect the Bill to have a particular impact on solving crimes against women and children.

South Africa is notorious for persisting high crime rates, particularly gender-based violence. If the bill was enacted, criminals or suspected criminals would be compelled to provide police with a DNA sample. The samples would then be destroyed, but the DNA profiles would be stored on a database.

Criminals in the country's jails would be compelled to provide such DNA samples. DNA would also be taken from arrested and charged people, and from volunteers, to eliminate them as suspects in a crime. People could also volunteer to provide DNA samples for help in identifying bodies or missing people.

The bill would also help those who could not speak for themselves, especially children.

Police also plan to use DNA to vet their own members thereby ensuring that members who had taken part in criminal activities and left behind DNA evidence were prosecuted.

With the bill, South Africa will soon set up its first DNA data base in Cape Town with an estimated cost of 600 million rands (about 60 million U.S. dollars) to help improve conviction rates and reduce crime.

DNA is evidence left behind at crime scenes, and which, when collected by specially trained personnel, may enable police to identify perpetrators. DNA swabs can also be collected from the side of a suspect's cheek and be tested against crime scene forensic evidence. Up to now, South Africa does not have a law enabling police to collect DNA samples, nor a National Forensic Data Base, or police officers trained in the collection of DNA.

The adoption of the DNA bill won applause from NGOs, including DNA Project which has been fighting for the promulgation of a law governing the handling of DNA samples from crime scenes for the past nine years.

"It's a massive step and I really do think it's a wonderful opportunity for South Africa to really fight crime in a way which is smart and which has shown throughout the world to be effective, " said DNA Project director Vanessa Lynch.

"It will have an effect on our serial offenders. We'll be able to identify them at an earlier stage of their criminal careers," Lynch said.

But she said the bill was not a "silver bullet"and needed to be coupled with good investigative work and a capable criminal justice system.