Police Urge Scottish Government To Launch DNA Database

Feb 24 2008 By Mark Aitken, Political Editor

THE Scottish Government have been urged to start their own database containing the DNA of anyone arrested for a crime.

Police and politicians made the call after the convictions last week of two murderers in England thanks to DNA evidence.

Ipswich serial killer Steve Wright and Mark Dixie, who butchered teen model Sally Anne Bowman, were tracked down using DNA taken during previous arrests.

In England, samples from arrested suspects are kept whether they are prosecuted or not.

In Scotland, DNA taken from suspects who are not convicted must be destroyed, unless they are accused of a sexual or violent crime.

Labour MSP Cathy Jamieson said: "If we are to protect the public from criminals then we have to give the police as many tools as possible to do that." The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland added:

"We are in favour of allowing the taking and retention of DNA samples from persons arrested for an offence."

But the Scottish Government said: "We do not support the blanket retention of all forensic information.

"We are not persuaded that it would be right for the police to keep fingerprints and DNA samples from everyone who is detained but not eventually convicted or even prosecuted."

England's DNA database holds around 4.5million profiles.

It helped snare killers Wright and Dixie, who were both caged for life last week. Wright - who murdered five prostitutes - was put on file in 2003 after being convicted of theft.

Dixie's DNA was added to the database in 2006 after being arrested for fighting.

But the Home Office admitted yesterday it had no plans to create a database containing the DNA of the entire population, saying it would raise "significant practical and ethical issues".

Profiles on the UK DNA database may be ordered to be destroyed by the European Court of Human Rights next week.

Two Brits are demanding their records are removed as they have never been found guilty of a crime.

If they are successful, up to 13 per cent of the profiles may have to be removed.