§ 29. Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in establishing a database for the DNA of police officers. [142672]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeWith the increasing use of DNA technology, and the substantial expansion of the national DNA database, my Department is funding the cost of processing and loading the profiles of 75,000 front-line police personnel on to a separate database, the police elimination database (PED).
Our initial target is by April 2001 to hold samples from the 75,000 front-line staff most likely to visit a crime scene. We are making good progress towards this and by the end of November 2000 over 46,000 samples have been submitted by police forces for inclusion on the police elimination database.
Recent improvements in the sensitivity of DNA have led to a much greater risk of accidental contamination of material by police personnel involved. Police officers are legally obliged to give a DNA sample if there is a risk that they may have inadvertently contaminated a crime scene, to eliminate them from the investigation. After each investigation these samples are destroyed. This results in a delay in subsequent investigations if samples from officers have to be taken and processed on every occasion the officer visits a crime scene, and can mean a delay in arresting suspects. It is also costly, as police forces have to pay for the costs of these repeated tests. Rather than continually carry out this process, officers can agree to their profile being held on the PED. This allows police to identify quickly and eliminate the DNA samples from the police officers visiting a crime scene.
The Police Advisory Board (PAB) has been considering the Association of Chief Police Officers' proposal that new recruits to the police service should be obliged to provide DNA samples for inclusion in the police elimination database as a condition of service, so mirroring the requirement on police officers to provide fingerprints for elimination purposes. The Police Federation of England and Wales has expressed concerns about the proposals and discussions are continuing. I have asked the PAB to reach agreement on the way forward by the end of February.