Norfolk's DNA database: nearly one-thousand innocent people added since court ruling

7.22.00pm GMT Wed 28th Oct 2009

Nearly 1,000 DNA profiles of innocent people in Norfolk have been added to a national database since the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the practice was illegal last December. This is the equivalent to the profiles of 3 innocent people from Norfolk being added every day. Over the same period, just 6 profiles have been removed from the database.

The figures are contained within Parliamentary answers compiled by the Liberal Democrats and also reveal:

• 4,364 DNA profiles have been added in total in Norfolk since the ECHR ruling (average of 15 a day)

• There are now a total of 64,029 Norfolk DNA profiles on the database

• The Government estimates that 20.8% of people on the database are innocent, equivalent to 13,318 profiles in total in Norfolk and 908 since ECHR ruling

• Only 6 profiles have been removed since the ruling

Simon Wright, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Norwich South, said:

"The European Court in December declared it illegal to add the profiles of innocent people onto the DNA database. The response of the Government should have been to destroy the profiles of people on the database who have committed no crimes, but instead they've allowed it to grow further in breach of human rights. Despite the ruling, the world's biggest DNA database is being constructed by stealth.

"It's shocking that hundreds of innocent people in Norfolk have been added since the ruling while so few have been removed.

"Those who are on the database and who have committed no crime should be removed immediately."