This morning’s Wales on Sunday reveals that police in Wales have taken DNA samples from more than 55,000 innocent people. Almost half of these – an estimated 23,651 – were taken by South Wales Police alone, costing the force £1.5m. They say that in total, the nation’s four police forces have spent an estimated £3.4m in gathering DNA samples from innocent people.
Since 2001, police have taken DNA samples from anyone they arrest or caution, even if no charges are brought against them. Current law allows an innocent person’s DNA profile to be kept for up to 12 years.
With an estimated 4.5 million profiles, the DNA database for England and Wales is the largest in the world, and includes adults and children as young as 10 who have been accused of such crimes as:
* Taking a bicycle without consent;
* Begging;
* Failing to provide a breath specimen;
* Taking part in an illegal demonstration;
* Being drunk in a public place.
Human rights campaigners Liberty called for the database to simply hold details of sexual and violent offenders, which would save millions of pounds of public money.
Liberty’s legal officer, Anna Fairclough, told Wales on Sunday: “The Government is fond of justifying its retention of innocents’ DNA with the trite phrase: ‘nothing to hide, nothing to fear’. Those affected do not agree. They have done no wrong and they deeply resent their DNA profiles being held alongside those of murderers and rapists.”
Cardiff Central Liberal Democrat MP, Jenny Willott has been a longstanding campaigner to remove innocent people’s DNA from the database. She is leading a campaign to call on the chief constable of each Welsh police force to allow innocent people to have their DNA profile deleted.
In an open letter to Barbara Wilding, chief constable of South Wales Police, Jenny calls the database, “disproportionate, unethical, costly and ineffective”. She has urged people in Wales who believe they might be on the database to write to police asking for their DNA profile to be destroyed.
On her website Jenny has placed a template letter and advice for people to use to write to the Chief Constable to ask for their DNA to be removed. Further details are here.
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