14 May 2009

'Your identity: What is it, who owns it and how safe is it?' - public debate

Saturday 6th June 2009, University of Dundee

Leading figures from the world of law, policing and forensic sciences will join a public debate at the University of Dundee next month on personal identity and the growing threats to it presented by theft and misappropriation.

In our world of increasing globalisation and security awareness it seems ironic that we have no 'right' to our identity? Yet it is a part of our self that is under constant threat from theft and misappropriation as one of the fastest growing crimes in the western world.

This public debate is jointly hosted by the University of Dundee and the British Association for Human Identification and will be chaired by Alan Cochrane, Scottish Editor of the Daily Telegraph.

Through a lively question, answer and debate format he will steer the audience and the panel of experts through many aspects of our identity - cultural, historical, political, legal, religious and biological.

Helping him on this epic journey will be Donald Findlay QC; John Vine, Chief Inspector for the UK Border Agency (former Chief Constable of Tayside); Professor Sue Black, forensic anthropologist; and Baron Paul Leckie, retired business man and philanthropist.

'This is an exceptional panel of experts from an incredibly diverse background. It will be an interesting debate and with the characters involved it should be heated and fun,' said Professor Black.

The public are invited to submit questions for discussion on this subject to the panel by sending their name and question to info@bahid.org.

The public debate is being held alongside the British Association of Human Identification’s annual scientific conference, which is taking place in Dundee from June 6th to 8th, at the West Park Centre and College of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee.

The public debate takes place at 5pm on Saturday 6th June in the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, University of Dundee.

Tickets are available from the reception in the Tower Building on Perth Road, by telephoning 01382 388825, or online at www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk