The government has been left trying to defend the storing of DNA profiles of 24,000 children, after Conservative MP Grant Shapps revealed that the youngsters’ details were being held despite the fact that none of them had ever been cautioned, charged or convicted of an offence.

The result of his three-month investigation lead the nation’s news broadcasts asking whether a juvenile DNA database is being created by “stealth”.

Suspects who are arrested can have their DNA recorded even in cases of mistaken identity.  However it transpires that Police Constables have not been removing the DNA profile, even though it was collected inadvertently.

Grant Shapps explained: “It could easily lead to people make a malicious allegation in order to ensure that an individual ends up with their DNA on the police database on a permanent basis.”

Welwyn Hatfield’s campaigning MP stresses that he is not against the DNA Police Database, but claims that the government should come clean about what he describes as a “back door” approach to building a database which encompasses a large proportion of entirely innocent people.

Find out how Grant Shapps MP discovered the extend of the national database by clicking here.

ENDS
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Grant Shapps on 07968 070097