Over 1000 innocent Surrey people added to National DNA database since European court ruling

5.35.06pm GMT Fri 15th Jan 2010

We need to concentrate our resources on catching criminals, not on innocent people: Doughty

More than 100,000 innocent people have been added to the National DNA Database since the European Court of Human Rights ruled in December 2008 that the practice was illegal, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The figures, contained in Parliamentary answers, show:

o 487,340 profiles have been added to the database since the ruling

o This includes 101,367 innocent people -a rate of 282 a day

o In that same period, just 400 people have been successfully removed from the database

o For every innocent person that managed to have themselves removed from the DNA database under the 'exceptional case system' since the ECHR ruling, a further 253 innocent people have been added.

And in Surrey

o 5281 profiles have been added

o This includes 1,098 innocent people

o In that same period, just 8 have been removed

o For every innocent person that managed to have themselves removed from the DNA database under the 'exceptional case system' since the ECHR ruling, a further 137 have been added.

A breakdown by police force is attached.

<<DNA Database profiles by force 1995 to Nov 2009.xls>>

Commenting, Sue Doughty said:

"This is a national problem, but could be sorted out locally. Local people are complaining that despite being found innocent, their records are being retained. Despite the Government's promises to abide by the European Court's ruling, they are still doing everything they can to avoid it.

"Labour's cynical proposals will create a half-guilty class of people with their most intimate personal information held by the police for six years - even though they have done nothing wrong.

"This is a gross distortion of one of the fundamental principles of this country - that you are innocent until proven guilty."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. A spreadsheet is attached giving full details, including a regional breakdown. The spreadsheet also contains links to the relevant Parliamentary Answers.

2. The number of people successfully removed from the DNA database since December 2008 came in a Parliamentary Answer:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090506/text/90506w0025.htm#09050718002611

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100113/text/100113w0006.htm#10011367002474

3. The European Court of Rights Ruling on the S and Marper case in December 2008 can be found here:

http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2008/1581.html

4. According to a recent Parliamentary answer to Jenny Willott, 79% of those stored on the DNA database had a criminal record on the Police National Computer (PNC), while 21% did not. This means 101,367 DNA profiles have been added and stored on the database from people who have not been convicted of a crime:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090602/text/90602w0018.htm#09060279002402