Gordo's DNA database claims branded 'ridiculous'
114 imaginary murderers get off scot free
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Gordon Brown has been accused of deliberately misleading the public by claiming that not retaining genetic profiles of innocent people on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) would have led to 114 murderers getting away.
The charge was made on Friday by the genetics lobby group GeneWatch UK. It analysed a speech the Prime Minister made on June 17 where he argued for the retention of DNA profiles from thousands of charged suspects, including children, in criminal cases that were later found not guilty or never made it to trial.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "I think in this case we'll have to let the Prime Minister's words speak for themselves. The figures he quoted were publicly available from 2006." The Home Office had referred The Register's questions about the speech to Number 10.
The massive expansion of the NDNAD was mandated by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. GeneWatch's Dr Helen Wallace accused Brown of knowingly manipulating statistical estimates to spin them as facts in support of storing innocent people's genetic information. In a statement she said: "Gordon Brown has stooped to a new low."
Match making up
In his speech on "Liberty and Security" at the Institute for Public Policy Research, Brown said: "If we had not made this change [retaining innocents' DNA profiles], 8,000 suspects who have been matched with crime scenes since 2001 would in all probability have got away, their DNA having been deleted from the database.
"This includes 114 murders, 55 attempted murders, 116 rapes, 68 other sexual offences, 119 aggravated burglaries, and 127 drugs offences."
The figures Brown cited are drawn from the Home Office's NDNAD annual report. The most recent numbers say that "200,300 or so" profiles have been retained that would have been removed before the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 hit the statute book. That number is estimated from comparing the number of entries in the Police National Computer (PNC) to the number of DNA profiles.
The Home Office then calculates what proportion of the entire NDNAD acquitted and untried suspects represent. This factor is used to estimate that 13,964 offences recorded by the police in 2005/06 were matched to a profile on the database that would not have been retained before 2001. In turn, the number of those supposed matches that would have been murder cases is calculated: 114.
And finally, the Prime Minister informs the public that 114 murderers would "in all probability have got away".
COMMENTS
It's section 5
The catchall isn't called breach of the peace any more, it's Section 5 of the Public Order Act. This used to e quite sensible ans said if you were deliberately going out to fooend or harrass someone you got nicked. This all got changed and now you can be nicked under Section 5 if you behave in a manner that a person in the surrounding area might find harrassing, thretening or abusive. PC99 doesn't have to get a statement of said threat, abuse or harrassment, it is sufficient for the officer concerned to state that in his opinion you were being threatening, harrassing or abusive and your your defence is that your actions did not go beyond what the officer would normally hear in his everyday life. If you chose to go to court the chances are you are on a loser, the magistrate will side with the Police, your other option is to submit to the swab and then pay the £80 fixed penalty notice.
As for me, I don't go out in the town centre any more, not because I am in fear of the disorder we see on Sky TV every night, but because I don't want to find myself on the same street as a copper in body armour with a can of CS and a taser looking for more unsuspecting victims to extract a sample from.
So now what?
Moan, whine, moan.
That's all you f*ckers ever like to do. But when it comes to actually doing something, anything to change this crap that the mejia keep dishing up and the state keeps handing out, then there's nothing.
Because until you - yes YOU - are willing to sacrifice a little of your precious comfort and ease and time and self and make an effort to change what's going down, then the lies and the bullsh*t and the spin will continue. And your lives will get worse.
It's not too late. Is it?
Something is missing.
When Gor Blimey goes he should take the cops with him.
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