ALMOST 5,000 INNOCENT PEOPLE ADDED TO GREATER MANCHESTER DNA DATABASE SINCE COURT RULING

10.51.00am GMT Tue 9th Feb 2010

Almost 5,000 innocent people have been added to the DNA database in Greater Manchester in the 12 months since the practice was declared unlawful by the courts, according to research from Andrew Stunell MP and the Liberal Democrats.

In December 2008, the European Court of Human rights ruled that the practice of retaining DNA samples from people not convicted of a crime was unlawful. Research from the Liberal Democrats, using information obtained from Parliamentary answers shows:

• 23,947 profiles have been added to the DNA database in Greater Manchester since the ruling.

• This figure includes 4,981 records of people who were never charged or have been acquitted, a rate of 14 per day.

• In that same period, just 8 people have been removed from the database.

• For every one innocent person removed from the database, 643 innocent people are added.

Now Mr Stunell is calling for the government to remove the DNA of everyone who is not charged of a crime, or is acquitted.

Commenting, Andrew Stunell said:

"It is disgraceful that the Government is blocking the removal of the DNA records of nearly 5,000 innocent people despite the courts ruling that the practice is illegal.

"In Britain, everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but Labour seem determined to 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.

"DNA should be taken on arrest but destroyed if a person is not charged, or if they are acquitted.

"Despite the government's promises to fully abide by the European Court's ruling, they are still doing everything they can to avoid obeying it. Gordon Brown needs to learn the difference between innocence and guilt and learn it quickly."

ENDS