Diane Abbott MP and Liberty to hold DNA clinic in Hackney

Young people on the DNA database urged to come forward for help on removing profiles

(London – 20 August 2009) – Liberty and Diane Abbott announced today that from September they will be holding a series of DNA clinics in Hackney to help those who have had their DNA retained unfairly. The Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington and Liberty lawyers will be available to provide help and advice to those who want their DNA profiles removed from the national database.

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said:

“I am glad that Damian Green has been able to get his DNA wiped off of the database. But, as the Home Affairs Select Committee pointed out this month, black men are disproportionately represented on the database. In particular there are tens of thousands of completely innocent young people who have been stigmatised in this way. It is time that the government acted on the ECHR ruling that automatic retention of DNA is wrong. And I am looking forward to working with Liberty to make sure that young people in Hackney who are innocent of any crime can have their DNA taken off the government’s database just like Damian Green"

Liberty have dismissed new Government proposals for the DNA database as ‘inadequate’ and called for the UK to comply with last December’s European Court of Human Rights judgment and remove innocents from the DNA database.

Anna Fairclough, Legal Officer for Liberty, said:

“If Damian Green MP can have his DNA destroyed in record time, young people in Hackney should be entitled to the same. Those without a powerful voice are just as innocent, yet the police seem to find their requests for DNA destruction considerably easier to dismiss.”

Forty percent of Britain’s criminals are not on the database but hundreds of thousands of innocent people are. The National DNA database is one of the largest in the world, holding 4.5 million profiles - this includes around 300,000 children and approximately 850,000 innocent people who have never been charged or cautioned.

DNA database still growing by 40,000 a month

Information released by the Home Office has revealed that 40,000 people a month are being added to the DNA database - despite the European Court of Human Rights having ruled that the system of DNA retention in England and Wales is illegal.

Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, accused the Government of “dragging their feet” on the matter.

He said, “The Government still doesn’t seem to get it about the DNA database. It is clearly illegal to maintain the records of innocent people but they are dragging their feet in dealing with the problem.”

A Conservative Government would adopt a system similar to that used in Scotland, where the DNA profiles of those not convicted of an offence would only be retained in circumstances where charges relating to a crime of violence or a sexual offence had been brought.

In these circumstances, DNA profiles could be retained for a maximum period of five years subject to judicial oversight.

DNA RULES KEEP RETENTION LEVELS LOW

UK LABOUR RETAIN DNA ON 300,000 CHILDREN

SCOTTISH DNA FIGURES FAR LOWER THAN ENGLISH EQUIVALENT

SNP MSP Nigel Don today said he is encouraged by figures showing the retention of DNA on the Scottish DNA database from under 18s is far lower than in England and Wales.

The European Court recently ruled that the system operated by the UK Government was a breach of human rights and praised the Scottish system as the model for other administrations to follow.

In England and Wales samples are held from 320,841 under 18s or 3% of the whole under 18 population. In contrast only 1167 samples of under 18s, equal to 0.1% of all Scotland’s young people are held in Scotland.

As the figures, released in a Parliamentary Answer show DNA in Scotland can only be held for those awaiting trial on an imprisonable offence and can only be retained if the individual is convicted or for up to two years in the cases of those charged with violent or sexual offences if not convicted.

Justice Committee member Nigel Don said the fact Scotland had a far lower proportion of DNA retained from young people was a sign the Scottish system was protecting the public and protecting civil liberties.

Mr Don said;

“These figures show that Scotland’s system of DNA retention is working to protect human rights and to ensure we are able to track those responsible for crimes in our society.

“In contrast the figures for England and Wales expose the real problems of Labour’s approach to criminal justice and emphasise Scotland’s success in finding the right balance between protecting the public from crime and protecting their human rights.

“Being able to identify violent offenders is important but a database containing the details of those who were children when they offended removes any prospect of real rehabilitation or recovery.

“Issues of DNA retention must be kept under regular review, though these figures show the Scottish system is working well to retain DNA only where it is appropriate.”

Cameron promises to give power back to the people

David Cameron set out plans to control the power of the state and make it more accountable to people in a speech at Imperial College.

He attacked Labour for having “diminished personal freedom and diluted political accountability” over the last twelve years.

And he promised, “At the heart of our programme for government will be our intention to change fundamentally the balance of power between the citizen and the state so that ultimately it’s people in control of their government, not the other way round.”

David said a Conservative Government would revoke the “unjustified and unreasonable” powers that let authorities enter your home without your permission, and strengthen the right to trial by jury.

He promised to scrap the ID card scheme and remove innocent people’s records from the DNA database.

And he announced plans to open up information and set public data free:

"In the first year of the next Conservative Government, we will find the most useful information in twenty different areas ranging from information about the NHS to information about schools and road traffic and publish it so people can use it."

David stressed that, taken together, these measures would “increase personal freedom and political accountability, restore trust, and help bring about the new politics we need so badly.”

Government plan to limit DNA database "doesn't go far enough"

Chris Grayling has attacked Labour for failing to take “real action” to remove innocent people from the DNA database.

The Shadow Home Secretary warned that Labour’s latest plan to trim the DNA database “doesn’t go far enough”, and accused the Government of “trying very hard to do as little as it can as slowly as it can”.

Under the current system, details of individuals who are cleared of crimes - or not even charged in the first place - are held for six years, or 12 in cases involving serious violent or sexual offences.

Chris stressed the importance of remembering that people are innocent until proven guilty and of achieving the "right balance" – and he said:

“I can see no reason to be storing the DNA of people who have not been convicted of any offence.”

Chris promised that a Conservative Government would implement the Scottish system, where a DNA sample is taken on arrest but then deleted if the person is cleared, or kept for a maximum of five years if they are cleared of serious sexual or violent offence.

Huhne: DNA announcement nowhere near good enough

Responding to the Governments announcement on removing a limited number of innocent people’s profiles from the DNA database in the light of the European Court ruling that it was illegal, the Liberal Democrats have released new research showing that 925,000 innocent people’s profiles are now on the database.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said, "once again, the Home Office is fighting an undignified rearguard action designed to give as little as possible in response to the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights."

Attacking the Governmen Chris Huhne said, "today's announcement is nowhere near good enough. Jacqui Smith must not be allowed to get away with anything short of immediately removing all innocent people from the database, except those accused of a violent or sexual offence."

Talking about new Liberal Democrat research Chris Huhne said, "it is staggering that as many as one in five people on the database has no criminal record. The estimated 925,000 innocents on the database should not have to fight another case in the European Court to establish their freedom from an Orwellian state."

What will Jacqui Smith do next, chip us like dogs?

I am almost convinced that the next thing Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will propose is that we will all have to be implanted with computer chips like house hold pets so that we can be tracked wherever we are. Surely we have allowed things to go too far. We need to step back or all of the freedom we think we enjoy will be gone before we even know it...if it hasn't already.

(Home Office) Government outlines new proposals for DNA database

New proposals to reassure the public that the right people are kept on the DNA database were outlined by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today.

DNA and the use of forensics play an essential role in fighting crime and providing justice for victims. The UK has been recognised as the world leader in developing the use of the national DNA database and catching criminals through reviews of so called "cold cases". Between April 1998 and September 2008 there were more than 390,000 crimes with DNA matches, providing the police with a lead on the possible identity of the offender.

A public consultation - 'Keeping the right people on the DNA database' - includes plans to:

* Destroy all DNA samples like mouth swabs, hair or blood as soon as they are converted into a profile;
* Automatically delete profiles of those arrested but not convicted of serious violent or sexual crimes after 12 years;
* Automatically delete profiles of those arrested but not convicted of all other crimes after six years;
* Retain indefinitely all DNA profiles and fingerprints of those convicted of a recordable offence;
* Remove profiles of young people arrested but not convicted or convicted for less serious offences as a teenager when they turn 18;
* Change the law to retrospectively add all serious violent and sexual criminals who were convicted before the DNA database was established, including those who are now back in the community;
* Change the law to allow the police to take DNA from those who were convicted of serious violent and sexual crimes abroad upon their return to the UK; and
* Keep fingerprints for those arrested but not convicted of serious violent or sexual crimes for 12 years, and six years for all other crimes, before automatic deletion.

As the Home Secretary announced last year, the rules for retaining DNA for those who have committed serious offences must be as tough as possible but the approach should be flexible for others including children. Immediately after the Home Secretary's speech in December all profiles relating to children under 10 years were taken off the DNA database.

In 2006-7 alone there were 41,717 crimes with DNA matches. These included 452 homicides, 644 rapes, 222 other sex offences and 1,872 other violent crimes. There were also thousands of matches with less serious crimes, including more than 8,500 domestic burglaries.

The database has provided a pioneering method not only for catching the guilty but also in proving innocence. It played an essential part in solving thousands of cases, including:

* Finding Mark Dixie guilty of the murder of Sally Ann Bowman, an 18-year-old murdered close to her home in 2005;
* Convicting Steve Wright for the murder of five prostitutes in 2008;
* Linking Kensley Larrier to a rape in 2004 after his DNA was taken following his arrest for possessing a dangerous weapon two years earlier;
* Ruling out the prime suspect who confessed to the murder of one of two schoolgirls found dead. Pioneering work showed that semen samples taken from the girls did not match that suspect, but indicated that the cases were linked as the semen in both cases came from the same person, who in due course was identified as Colin Pitchfork who was jailed for life for the two murders; and
* Clearing Sean Hodgson of the death of a young woman after nearly 30 years in prison earlier this year.

The new proposals deliver a commitment by the Home Secretary to balance public protection from crime with the need to maintain the rights of the individual.

Launching the public consultation, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

"It is crucial that we do everything we can to protect the public by preventing crime and bringing offenders to justice. The DNA database plays a vital role in helping us do that and will help ensure that a great many criminals are behind bars where they belong.

"As I said in December, I have real sympathy for all those victims and victims' families who have concerns that any move could undermine a system that helped trap murders and rapists, such as Sally Ann Bowman's killer. These new proposals will ensure that the right people are on it, as well as considering where people should come off.

"We will ensure that the most serious offenders are added to the database no matter when or where they were convicted. We also know that the database has provided matches for a significant number of serious crimes as well as providing thousands of matches for less serious crimes that cause great concern to victims, such as burglary, which is why we are proposing to keep some profiles for six years."