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Welsh DNA database still contains thousands of innocent people

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP, Jenny Willott dominates this morning’s Western Mail with her discovery that more than 4,300 innocent people have been added to the DNA database by Welsh police forces since a European court ruling that the practice was illegal.

The figures that she has obtained show that almost one in 10 Welsh residents – 274,272 – have their profile on the DNA database. But 57,069 have not been convicted of any offence, with 4,343 innocent people added since the court ruling. Only 17 profiles have been removed from the database since last December when the European Court of Human Rights decided that holding the profiles of innocent people indefinitely breached their rights.

Commenting on her discovery Jenny said: “It is appalling that the Government has allowed over a million innocent people to be added to the DNA database.

“Despite the European ruling that the practice is a breach of human rights, for every innocent person removed from the DNA database in Wales, 250 other innocent people are added.

“The Government’s attempt to store innocent people’s DNA for up to 12 years has been categorically slated by the experts, forcing them into an embarrassing climb down in Parliament.

“The Home Office needs to put an end to this charade by removing all innocent people from the database, once and for all.”

Related posts:

  1. Willott renews call to remove innocent from DNA database
  2. 53,600 Welsh innocents must be removed from DNA database
  3. Willott highlights scandal of Welsh DNA register

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  1. treborc says

    Thats the Welsh Police for you backward coming forward. you call them for a robbery and they have nobody available, they normally ask you has anyone been killed, are you an MP or rich if you answer no they say ah well you must have asked for it.