Pressure grows to stop hoarding of DNA data

MPs and civil rights groups want Government database to ditch information on innocent people

Dinah Greek, Computeract!ve 07 Jun 2007

Pressure is building on the Government to stop holding DNA information of people who have never been charged with an offence.

At the end of last month, the Liberal Democrats launched an online petition calling for the end of innocent people's DNA being held indefinitely on the National DNA database (NDNAD).

Genewatch UK, an independent not-for-profit group that monitors developments in genetic technologies, and Action on Rights for Children (Arch) have also set up a petition calling for an end to this practice.

The UK has the largest database of citizens’ DNA in the world. Around 3.4 million people have their DNA information stored on police databases – at least five times higher as a proportion of the coutnry's population than any other country.

The police have the power to take and store DNA from everyone they arrest, even if that person is released without charge. Recordable offences include begging, being drunk and disorderly and taking part in an illegal demonstration.

The Lib Dems point out that out of this number this means there are now more than a million people on the National DNA database who do not have a police record or caution.

Genewatch and Arch put at least 100,000 children aged between 10 and 17, who had not committed any criminal offence as part of this figure.

The Home Office is also waiting to report on a consultation to widen the powers police have to take DNA. Proposals include plans to record DNA from people evne if the allged offence is not reportable – such as littering.

In a statement the Home Office likened the collection of DNA to being “no different to recording other forms of information such as photographs and witness statements".

Although all parties petitioning against indiscriminatory storing of this information agree DNA is a vital tool in crime-fighting, they do not believe this gives carte blanche to keep this data indefinitely; especially as once your DNA is on the database, it is virtually impossible to have removed; even if you’re proved to be innocent in court.

“The Home Office has gone from running a criminal database to building a context one which is getting ready for the Government’s plans on ID cards and a Big Brother society,” Dr Helen Wallace of Arch told Computeractive.

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