England Drops National DNA Database
Guardian:
The introduction of a compulsory national DNA database has been ruled out on ethical and legal grounds, the Home Office said today.
Fresh calls were made for a nationwide register to hold the DNA profiles of every citizen in the country following the convictions of Steve Wright, the Suffolk serial killer, and Mark Dixie, the murderer of Sally Anne Bowman.
Both men were convicted after DNA found on their victims was linked with samples they had supplied to the police national DNA database.
However, Lincolnshire chief constable, Tony Lake, who is also chairman of the national DNA database board, said today that he and many of his colleagues were not convinced of the need for a universal database.
“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,” said a Home Office spokesman.
Policing minister Tony McNulty also outlined the position of the government on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, saying that it felt the balance was “about right” already on the question of the DNA database.
Pleas for a nationwide DNA register have the backing of Sally Anne Bowman’s mother, Linda, who has previously petitioned for such a move, while the policeman who led the investigation into the young model’s killing has also called for its creation.
Speaking outside court after Mark Dixie was jailed for 34 years, detective superintendent, Stuart Cundy, said that a national DNA database would have led to the chef’s arrest within 24 hours.
Mr Dixie had 16 previous convictions in Britain but all were before DNA was routinely taken from suspects.
He was arrested for Miss Bowman’s murder nine months after an arrest for a minor scuffle over a World Cup football match.
His DNA was placed on the police database and he was in custody five hours later.
In the case of Steve Wright, who learned on Friday that he will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murders of five young women working as prostitutes, his DNA was logged in 2003 after he was caught stealing.
The use of DNA as a crime solving aid could meanwhile come under threat in the coming days when judges at the European Court of Human Rights rule on the test case of two Britons who want their details removed.
The two applicants argue their human rights have been impinged by the decision to leave their details on the database, despite the fact that they had never been found guilty of a crime.
Michael Marper and a teenager known as “S” both from Sheffield, had their DNA and fingerprints taken after they were arrested in 2001.
Mr Marper was charged with harassment of his partner in March 2001, but the couple later reconciled and the charge was not pressed.
S, arrested in January 2001, was charged with attempted robbery, but acquitted in June that year.
Britain already has, per capita, the largest forensic DNA database in the world. Approximately 4m samples, or 6% of the population are registered on it.
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does that help for sharia rules ?
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:52 pmHad George Orwell not written that little book with the phrase “Big Brother” in it, there would be half the hyperventilating sissies worrying about the gov’t intruding in their lives. I don’t know if this DNA database is really a good idea, but let’s not kid ourselves: If the gov’t wants to log your DNA, you’re not going to stop them.
I am inclined to think, as with a society rife with citizens carrying concealed justice in a jackass strap, a nationwide DNA database would send icy cold chills down a criminal’s spine as well as eliminate a shitload of bad convictions.
Sissy libs win again.
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 pmYeah guess Sharia law says no to a DNA database. that is what all of their decisions are based on these days right?
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:59 pmI think we do have DNA database for our immigrants that want to bring their family from Africa. Because of the rules there, one can never know if it is the real children, wife or one of the multi-wives, or a cousin or …
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:03 pmSharia bad, database good.
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:05 pmFranchie, sounds like our ghettos here, everybody’s everybody’s cousin.
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:07 pmhey, John may-be you should apply that to your “aliens”
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 pmA huge database plays into the “prosecutor’s fallacy” and doesn’t mean that innocents won’t be convicted - on the contrary. If the database is big enough you can expect to find false positives:
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 pmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecutor%27s_fallacy