OVER TWO HUNDRED NEW PROFILES ADDED TO DNA DATABASE EACH DAY IN THE NORTH WEST - STUNELL

4.31.00pm GMT Thu 11th Dec 2008

There are almost 700,000 profiles on the North West's DNA Databases, with nearly 30,000 having been added since 30th June - amounting to 204 new profiles added to the databases each day, research from Liberal Democrat MP Andrew Stunell has discovered.

Research carried out by the Liberal Democrats has shown that:

• There are 687,050 profiles on Police DNA Databases in the North West (as of 17th November).

• This is an increase of 28,626 profiles from figures released on 30th June 2008.

• This means that there are over 200 new samples added to the database every day in the North West, and over 1400 each week.

• There were 55,793 profiles from ethnic minority groups, amounting to 8.66% of the total profiles, almost a full percentage point higher than the estimated ethnic minority population in the North West (7.8%).

• Black people were three times more likely to have a sample on the database, with 21,116 profiles amounting to 3.27% of the total, despite Black people only comprising 1.2% of the North West population.

• In Greater Manchester, there were 54,600 profiles of individuals under the age of 21, with over 8,000 under the age of 16, and staggeringly, 878 under the age of 13.

• The UK already has the largest DNA database in the world, containing 4.2 million individuals, with approximately 130,000 innocent people, who were neither charged nor convicted, having samples on the database.

These figures come as a landmark decision reached on Thursday 4th December in the European Court of Human Rights decreed that the retention of the DNA of two individuals who had not been convicted of a crime was an infringement of their human rights, and should be removed from the database.

Commenting, Andrew Stunell MP, who is the North West Diversity Champion for the Liberal Democrats, said:

"These figures are shocking. The government is succeeding in criminalising huge swathes of the population, disproportionately affecting ethnic minorities, and in stigmatising our youth.

"It is completely unacceptable that a black person is three times more likely to have a profile on the database, and whilst some strides have been made, all too often there is still considerable discrimination within our society.

"The government has little regard for guilt or innocence, nor the negative effect that being on the database has on children.

"The Government has rapidly built the world's biggest DNA database by stealth. While DNA is a vital tool in the fight against crime, there is no legitimate reason for the police to retain for life the DNA records of innocent people.

"There is also little evidence that this enormous database of DNA from innocent people has led to a surge in crime detection rates.

"It is vital that the government comply with the Court's ruling, and remove the profiles of innocent people from the database."

ENDS