Mark Higlights Dangers of 'Unfair DNA Database'

Local MP Mark Oaten has made a submission to the Home Office’s consultation on the DNA Database criticising Government plans to continue allowing storage of DNA profiles of individuals who have never been convicted of a crime.

After having had numerous constituents seek his help to have their DNA removed from the database and following an online forum through the website hearfromyourmp.com Mark decided to make a submission to the consultation.

The biggest issue is the storage of DNA details of people who have been arrested but never convicted of a crime – whether it’s wrongful arrest, a dropping of the charges or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mark feels that this is discrimination against totally innocent people and a breach of their civil liberties.

Mark found that many of his constituents agreed with him that this was an unfair way of doing business. He also found though that of those constituents who did not mind their details being stored on the database in principle there was still a strong feeling that either everyone’s details should be stored, or only those convicted of a crime. This is a point that Mark included in his submission.

There were also concerns, expressed by some constituents, about the Government’s ability to securely store such sensitive personal information. In light of reported losses over the past few years the public seem to have less faith in the Government’s ability to handle private details.

The Government asserts that the storage of people’s details might lead to arrests in the future but Mark has pointed out that this is a result of the number of people on the database rather than the effectiveness of the database as a detector of crime. This scattergun approach is always likely to yield some results but this justification doesn’t outweigh the damage to people’s civil liberties.

Mark commented:

“I don’t believe that individuals arrested but not convicted should be treated any differently to anyone else because fundamentally this leaves totally innocent people discriminated against.”

“The European Courts decision provided an opportunity for this unfair system to be subject to a wholesale review, instead the Government are proposing the bare minimum they can do.

“The Government claim that the DNA database will result in arrests for future crimes. But if they want to follow this logic through to its natural conclusion then everyone should be on the database ‘just in case’. That clearly isn’t going to happen, so you can’t discriminate against those people who are no different from anyone else.