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Genetics: Databases

Answer

[holding answer 15 December 2008]: At 30 September 2008, there were an estimated 4,631,838 persons with a profile on the National DNA Database (NDNAD). Of these, an estimated 4,355,904 persons had been sampled by forces in England and Wales.Data on arrest and criminal histories are not held on the NDNAD, but are held on the Police National Computer (PNC). Such data are not available routinely, but the National Policing Improvement Agency obtains information periodically on the number of persons on the NDNAD who have a conviction and on the number of those who have not. This information was last obtained at the end of March 2008.On 31 March 2008, there were an estimated 4,116,713 persons on the NDNAD sampled by police forces in England and Wales, of whom 3,832,986 persons had a record retained on PNC. Of these, over 3.25 million persons had a conviction, caution, formal warning or reprimand recorded on the PNC and around 573,600 persons had no current conviction, caution, formal warning or reprimand recorded on PNC.The 573,600 figure includes some persons who may have had a caution or conviction record removed from PNC after five to 10 years in accordance with the Rules for Criminal Record Weeding (which applied prior to April 2006); persons who have been charged and acquitted or proceedings discontinued; persons who have been charged with a recordable offence and proceedings are on-going; and persons who have been arrested but no further action was taken against them.The PNC records for the other 283,727 persons had been removed from the PNC for various reasons, for example, their conviction and caution records had been weeded after five to 10 years, the person had been acquitted or proceedings were discontinued.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

485 c724W; 243763

Session

2008-09

Subjects

Databases DNA

Link

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