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Genetics: Databases

Answer

7.3 million individuals have fingerprint records stored on the national fingerprint system, Ident1, as at 31 October 2007. This includes records for England, Wales and Scotland. The number of these who have not been convicted of a criminal offence could be provided only at disproportionate cost.An estimated 4,188,033 individuals had a DNA profile on the National DNA Database, of which 3,938,156 were sampled by police forces in England and Wales, as at 31 October 2007. In relation to the number of individuals who have not been convicted of any offence on the National DNA Database, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) on 13 December 2007, Official Report, columns 761-62 W.Of those on the DNA Database, about 22,700 have provided a DNA profile voluntarily and the remainder had DNA taken under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 amended PACE to allow samples to be taken if the person was charged with, or reported for summons, or convicted for a recordable offence, and allowed the samples and DNA profiles derived from these to be retained and speculatively searched against other samples and profiles held by or on behalf of the police, thus allowing the creation of the DNA database for use in criminal investigations. However, if the person was not prosecuted or was acquitted the samples and profiles had to be destroyed. The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 amended PACE to remove the requirement for destruction of samples following a discontinuance or acquittal, but specified that any samples and profiles that were retained could be used only for the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence or the conduct of a prosecution. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 amended PACE to allow the police to take DNA and fingerprints without consent from anyone arrested for a recordable offence and detained in a police station.People who volunteer to give a DNA sample include victims, witnesses, people with legitimate access to crime scenes, family members, and those responding to DNA intelligence-led screens. There are two options: consent to giving a sample of DNA to be used in a single investigation only which is then destroyed; and consent to giving a sample of DNA which will be added to the database and kept permanently.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

166807; 470 c273-4W

Session

2007-08

Subjects

Databases Genetics

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk