DNA consultation

Please take a few moments to reply to the government's DNA database consultation before 7th August 2009.

This consultation intends to promote public debate on how long we should retain fingerprints and DNA.

Here are a few ideas that you could use:

# Figures show that for the past six years the number of crimes solved using DNA evidence has remained static at about one in 300 of all recorded crimes. Over the same period the number of people on the national DNA database more than doubled in size from 1.9million people to 4.1million. A smaller database would be much cheaper and also more effective.

# The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against retention of the DNA of innocent people.

# It is disrespectful to Parliament that plans for the police to keep innocent people's DNA profiles for up to 12 years may become law without a Commons vote. The use of a 'statutory instrument' to get this through Parliament is undemocratic.

# The UK has the largest national DNA database of any country in the world. Over 7% of the British population has a profile on the national database, compared to 1% of Austrians and 0.5% of Americans.

# The numbers of profiles stored are now so large that 'false positives' have become a statistical probability.

# Over 800,000 children have their profiles stored.

You can email your response to DNAconsultation@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Or write to:

Alan Brown
DNA Consultations
Police Powers and Protection Unit,
4th Floor, Peel Building,
2 Marsham Street,
London SW1P 4DF

This consultation closes on 7 August 2009