The National DNA Database Expansion Programme figures have been published by the Home Office. The report is available online: DNA Expansion Programme 2000-2005: Reporting Achievement (.pdf)
It has been analysed somewhat by the BBC
Last Updated: Wednesday, 4 January 2006, 11:21 GMTDNA database continues to swell
More than 3 million samples are in the DNA database
The number of samples held on the DNA database will rise to 4.25 million within two years, the Home Office says.There are three million samples held at the moment, with some of the expansion due to law changes in 2001 and 2004.
[...]
Police can now track down offenders by matching samples with other family members who may be on the database.
The report does not provide any analysis of how many children's DNA samples are held on the NDNAD,
There are a couple of recent Parliamentary Answers on the subject, which reveal that 685,748 of the DNA records on the National DNA Database have been collected from children between the ages of 10 and 17 i.e. about 23 percent of the total, and are set to be retained for the rest of their lives (assuming that the table of figures given is not cumulative)
However, the controversial changes in the law which allow for the retention of DNA tissue samples, anaysed DNA "fingerprints" profiles and conventional fingerprints, even from the
139,463 people who have a DNA profile on the national DNA database (NDNAD) who have not been charged or cautioned with an offence.
do not seem to have yielded very impressive results so far according to the report:
15. Since the legal change that took place in 2001, it is estimated that approximately 198,000 profiles that would previously have been removed have been retained on the Database. Of these, at 31 March 2005, 7,591 profiles have been matched with crime scene samples involving 10,754 offences. These offences include 88 murders, 45 attempted murders, 116 rapes, 62 sexual offences, 91 aggravated burglaries and 94 of the supply of controlled drugs.
Remember that for a person to be "linked with a crime scene" does not mean that all or in fact most of these crimes have in any sense been "solved".
18. Some monitoring work has been undertaken by the DNA & Fingerprint Retention Project Team on the impact of arrestee sampling; this was based on data from 12 forces that are fully utilising the new powers. It has been identified that 43% of arrested persons are not proceeded against and ‘no further action’ is taken. Sampling arrestees who are not proceeded against has yielded over 250 profiles of individuals that have been linked with crime scene samples. These links to earlier offences may never have been made if the power under the 2003 Act to take a DNA sample on arrest had not been implemented. The earlier offences linked to these 250 criminal justice (CJ) arrestee profiles include: four murder/manslaughters, three rapes, six robberies, four sexual offences, five of the supply of controlled drugs and 98 burglary offences.
This does not appear to be overwhelming evidence that justifies the retention of thousands of innocent people's DNA samples.
UPDATE:
A new figure about the current number of Children on the DNA database who had not been charged or cautioned for any offence was given by Home Office Minister Andy Burns in a Parliamentary Answer on 16th January 2006
On 1 December the original question asked:"How many people under 18 years have DNA profiles stored in the police national database without having been charged or cautioned for any offence?"It was not then possible to provide the answer. A transitional solution provided by the police now enables this information to be compiled, though not as easily as the proposed PNC-national DNA database linkage would permit. On 1 December 2005 there were around 24,000 DNA person profiles on the DNA database which related to persons under 18 who had not been charged or cautioned for any offence.
Hmm. Is there anything in the report about, say, the average cost of taking and retaining a DNA sample? Multiply that across all 198,000 retained records, divide by 120 total offences and you get the average cost per investigation helped by DNA retention. Even assuming a rather generous £100 per sample (about the cost of a paternity test online), that's £165,000 per crime, which strikes me as an awful lot, considering a little over 80% of them are burglaries.
Now remind me who Blunkett was accepting directorships from...
"Now remind me who Blunkett was accepting directorships from..."
A company that's going down the tubes, if it hasn't already, hoorah. I find it vaguely comforting that this New Labour shower seems unable even to accept money for nothing without buggering it up. (-:
Good thing we haven't let them have free reign to recreate the Middle East or anything, isn't it.
It's a sign of authoritarian regimes the world over that they're brought down by internal favouritism and promotion of blatantly sycophantic incompetents. Watch for Hazel Blears getting a Cabinet chair any day soon...
:)
BBC report quote:
"Suspects arrested over any imprisonable offence can have their DNA held even if they are acquitted."
I thought the police were falling over themselves to DNA test eveyone arrested, even if it's for the most trivial of reasons. Anyone know the actual situation? Perhaps they ask arestees to "volunteer" to be DNA'd for the trivia?
@ A Tench - according to one of the the Parliamentary Answers cited above:
N.B. once you have given your permission as a "volunteer", this permission cannot be subsequently revoked.
Technically DNA sampling is allowed for any "recordable offence" i.e. anything with a theoretical maximum of a prison sentence, even if a fine is what is usually imposed.
Remember that since all offences are now arrestabale, it will probably be the case that DNA samples will be taken as a matter of course by the "system", regardless of whether they should have been in petty cases.
Anyone who volunteers a DNA sample is clearly stupid.
Another point on this one, just reported on ITN's review of tomorrow's papers:
One in three black men are on the NDNAD, whereas only one in ten white men are. The detailed stats on this would be interesting -
arrest breakdown by ethnic group
arrests not resulting in charge, by ethnic group
arrests not resulting in conviction, by ethnic group
We all know how politicians are desperate not be viewed as singling out minorities, so maybe they'll rein in the police when it comes to DNA testing for trivial "offences". Then again, the message might go out not to arrest so many black people.
@ Tom - do you have inside information on Hazel Blears promotion prospects ?
The Scotsman reports this Thursday 5th January 2006:
Sadly not, I just spotted a mention late last year somewhere that she was 'tipped for a Cabinet seat' and it stuck in my mind. I've been mulling over a website parodying Blairwatch called 'Blearswatch' for some time - the woman has so got under my skin that my two year old now frequently shouts 'Shut Up Blears' at the radio. If there's been a thicker, more arrogant minister of state in recent years I'll be very surprised. Perfect New Labour promotion material, in other words.
You might add Meg Munn to your list of arrogant Labour women liable for promotion...
Personal experience: I was taken in for questioning as a suspect for a recordable offence. I told the police that I objected to having my DNA taken as I knew that I was innocent of the crime, but that if I was found guilty then fair enough - take it. I was told that they could and would take a sample by force if necessary, which would involve ripping some of the hair out of my scalp whilst being held down. I eventually gave my consent, but it seems to me to be rather 1984-esque. I was subsequently not charged with anything. The reason the holocaust was so devastating was that the German government was so efficient at keeping records of it's citizens. I think this is more than a worry.
Hello: Can you help me with RIPA? I saw in a schedule of the Act a list of authorised organisations who would have access to internet histories - is it true to say that council officials could call for access to a citizen's internet records? Best, Simon
@ Simon - the bits of Local Councils which make most use of RIPA are the Trading Standards and Environmental Health departments.
They are not on the list of organisations which can request the content of electromic communications, but they can ask for some Communications Traffic Data in support of the enforcement of their Statutory Duties.
This is not usually web server logfiles etc. but much more likely to be mobile phone or email address Subscriber Records, when they are trying to investigate , say, a Dodgy Car Dealer or a fly tipping Waste Disposal company, which advertises itself in the local newspaper or posters and flyers etc.
That is not to say that the Local Party In Power , will not attempt to abuse these powers, to try to identify and track down someone who has , for example, created a blog or discussion forum , or just posted a message to one, which is critical of Local Council politicians or Officials or People with Influence e.g. a whistleblower or a local campaign organiser.
See the libel threats against the Ilkley Rocks blog for opposing a Local CCTV surveillance scheme.
Trading Standards and EH always had these sort of powers
RIPA has cut them back (after all it is to do with the regulation of powers provided elsewhere, not the provision of powers
I have composed a dissertation on the DNA database rights obligations powers and restraints.
I am still an undergraduate but would willingly heir your bad criticisms on my dissertation.
Any one interested in reading and commenting please feel free to ask/ email me and i will reply with a copy of the Dissertation 40 something pages and theres pictures aswell. :D
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