Bioethics Group Raises DNA Database Concerns

PieGuy107 writes "In its report, The Forensic Use of DNA and Fingerprints: Ethical Issues, the council recommends that police should only be allowed to permanently store bio-information from people who are convicted of a crime. Today, the police of England and Wales have wider sampling powers than the police force of any other country, and the UK has (proportionally, per head of population) the largest forensic database in the world. When the police first began using DNA, consent was required before samples could be taken. A succession of Acts of Parliament and legislative amendments has increased police powers of sampling; the police can now take DNA samples from all persons arrested, without their consent, for recordable offenses (an "arbitrary" classification), and retain the samples indefinitely regardless of whether the person arrested is subsequently convicted or even charged. In response to comments from the Home Office that retaining the DNA of people who were innocent at the time of arrest had helped to solve crimes they committed years later, the Nuffield Council stuck to its guns. "There has to be a limit to police powers," said Dr Carole McCartney, one of the report's authors. "DNA shouldn't be retained simply on the basis that it might turn out to be useful." She added that many of the statistics from the Home Office were "inconsistent, incomplete and confusing" and that much of its evidence consisted of anecdotal accounts of "horrible men caught with DNA"."

Zombies

[Gregb05]

I, for one, would be frightened if they caught a horrible man without DNA.

This playing God needs to stop!

[Anonymous Coward]

Messing with DNA and stem cells is playing God! Stop messing with God's work! It is evil! We MUST get rid of DNA because it is the product of evil science!

Re:Statute of Limitations

[locokamil]

I'm sorry, but that idea makes far too much sense for it to be seriously considered by lawmakers (or slashdot, for that matter).

WontSomebodyPleaseThinkOfTheConstables?

[ZuluZero]

Imagine the added weight of all that random DNA collection gear that police will have to carry all day. And DNA collection can be a messy business. Can't we all put our minds together to combine say, a Taser / DNA Extractomatic?

Arr!

[ackthpt]

"Avast! It cannot be Medium John Silver's DNA on that XBox 360 Special Monkey Island Edition!"

"Sir, it matches the database."

"Yarr. Caught red handed."

Re:Convicted?

[Maximum Prophet]

How many wealthy and powerful people do you think have their DNA, or will ever have their DNA, in a government database?

How many notorious crimes involve weathly and powerful people? Going back to the disapearance of the Lindberg baby, 75% perhaps?
Given this, I'd say that we need to record the DNA of anyone famous enough to be mentioned several times in the newspapers, and at least twice on TV news. It's for their own safety, really. (:-)

Re:These are not fingerprints

[fastest fascist]

The biological imperative states I must try and spread my DNA as wide and far as I can! I welcome the assistance of the police in this.The person who commits the most crimes in most different jurisdictions wins the great evolutionary race! Survival of the fittest!