Half a million kids' DNA on UK police database
Innocence is an old-fashioned word
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Half a million children have had their DNA recorded on Britain's police database, the government admitted yesterday.
The number of people being added to the police DNA database is rising rapidly, with a total of 667,737 people added to the database last year, home secretary John Reid said in a parliamentary written answer yesterday.
Of those added last year, 90,919 were below the age of 16, it emerged in answer to a question tabled by the shadow home secretary David Davis. That was by far the most children added in any year since the database was set up by the Conservatives in 1995. A total of 521,901 are now on the DNA database.
Davis said it was an "extremely sinister development".
"Half a million youngsters - many of whom will be innocent - have their DNA data stored by stealth. Just over 100 samples have been removed," he said in a statement.
"This is a big move towards the end of the presumption of innocence for our youth."
The figures revealed that there is now a total of 4.1 million people on the DNA database. Very few people are having their details removed from the database. Only 115 got their DNA removed from the records last year.
The numbers have been rising rapidly. In answer to a similar question in December, Reid said there were 3,457,000 people on the database. About a third (1,139,445) had no criminal record. ®
COMMENTS
Re: 1 IN A (uk) BILLION
Martin wrote:
"IT'S ACTUALLY 1 IN A (uk) BILLION
The chances of a mis-match are totally negligible, and there would be additional evidence."
And its nonsense like that that makes DNA so dangerous.
People hear some statistic about how unique the entire DNA genome is, and have absolutely no idea that DNA matching only works on a few markers and combined with laboratory error and contamination issues, leads to vastly less certainty. Some checks on labs have revealed such poor practices that confidence of matches can be a low as one in several thousand.
But you can guarantee a jury will be made up of people like Martin who will trot out the billions to one figure every time, and return a guilty verdict no matter how much contradictory evidence is present.
It's mine and mine alone
DNA, Iris scans, maybe even my likeness - in a photographic way.
They're all mine and not for anyone to copy or steal.
If I am genetically gifted with resistance or even a cure for a disease, I'm selling and am not about to have some cheeky govt pinch it for the greater good.
That goes for crime solving / detection etc.
Bring on a UK DCMA and I'll sue the HO for their illegal DNA sharing network.
1 IN A (uk) BILLION
"The chance of a wrong match are approx 1 in a million, and the this evidence is brought to court; the jury convicts on the basis of it."
iT'S ACTUALLY 1 IN A (uk) BILLION
The chances of a mis-match are totally negligible, and there would be additional evidence.
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