Ravenmoon
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Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 410
Location: Sheffield
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 Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 3:57 pm Post subject: Compulsory DNA database ruled out |
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| Quote: | Compulsory DNA database ruled out
The government has ruled out introducing a compulsory DNA database on practical and ethical grounds, the Home Office said on Saturday.
Last week DNA evidence helped convict a man who murdered five women in eastern England and another who killed a model, Sally Anne Bowman.
The police detective superintendent who led the Bowman investigation said that had there been a national DNA register, her murderer could have been identified within 24 hours.
"There are no government plans to introduce a universal compulsory, or voluntary, national DNA database and to do so would raise significant practical and ethical issues," the Home Office said in a statement.
More than 6 percent of Britain's population, or 4.5 million people, are on its national DNA database, more than anywhere else in the world. Critics of a compulsory database oppose any extension on ethical and human rights grounds.
"I understand the debate around universalism," Policing Minister Tony McNulty told the BBC.
"I understand the debate from people who would rather the database disappeared in its entirety, but we think the balance and the fairness and proportionality is about right where it's now.
"How to maintain the security of a database with 4.5 million people on it is one thing -- doing it for 60 million people is another."
The United States, home to the biggest database, has 5 million profiles for a population five times the size of Britain's.
Under 2001 rules DNA can be taken in Britain without consent from any person arrested for a serious, or "recordable", crime and kept even if that individual turns out to be innocent. In Scotland, samples must be destroyed if there is no charge.
Next week two Englishmen cleared of crimes will challenge Britain's DNA rules on privacy grounds at the European Court of Human Rights. If they are successful, 500,000 profiles collected since 1995 would have to be destroyed.
"I think we have a pretty robust case in terms of fairness and proportionately, but we will wait and see on the European case," said McNulty.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080223/thl-uk-britain-dna-acc9995_2.ht ml |
Gets the meme out there though
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"The people will believe what the media tells them they believe." George Orwell |
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