No reason to keep the DNA of innocent young people

The Government's DNA database holder has revealed that 298 young people on the streets of Britain have DNA samples taken from them every single day, and placed on the database. The National Policing Improvement Agency, responding to a Freedom of Information Act request, said that it now holds over 1 million DNA samples from young people.

The DNA samples, taken from children as young as ten years old, have been kept regardless of whether or not the children were charged with any crime.

Stephen Robinson, Liberal Democrat candidate for Chelmsford, said: "This is huge and expensive hammer to crack a tiny nut. Storing the DNA of thousands of innocent people as young as ten is unlikely to solve crime, but is a costly way of stigmatising young people.

"If you're innocent, you shouldn't have your data on who you are kept for years. This money would be better spent getting more police out and about."

The Essex Police are not the worst on this, but have been heavily involved. On average they have taken DNA samples from more than 25 children under the age of 14 week in, week out for whole of the last decade. I'd like to know exactly how this information has helped to tackle crime and the fear of crime.

Nearly 40% of the 1.1 million mouth swabs on the national database have been taken from 10-14 year-olds, and then stored alongside data on each young person's 'ethnic appearance,' sex and age. In 2009 alone, police forces have already taken DNA from 54,311 'subject profiles' aged between 10 and 17.

This is despite the European Court of Human Rights last December ruling that stockpiling the DNA taken using mouth swabs of 850,000 innocent people was unlawful. In response, the Government has only offered a partial climb-down, ordering the police not to store the DNA from children younger than ten.

The professor who developed the genetic techniques that contributed to the database's development has attacked the Government for keeping innocent peoples' DNA. Sir Alec Jeffreys said the practice caused innocent people to be "branded as criminals".

The Metropolitan Police is the worst culprit, stockpiling the DNA from 144,487 young people collected over the last decade. The capital's police force takes DNA from thirteen 10-14 year-olds on the streets of the capital every single day.

Lib Dem shadow home secretary Chris Huhne has attacked the national DNA database as "ludicrous and ineffective" after the Government was forced to admit that the DNA from a baby had been placed on the national database.

The figures obtained by the Lib Dems reveal that six polices forces in Scotland have taken DNA from children younger than ten.