Over 29,000 innocent people living in Kent have been added to DNA database since European Court ruling (North Thanet Liberal Democrats)

North Thanet Liberal Democrats <info@north-thanetlibdems.org.uk>

Over 29,000 innocent people living in Kent have been added to DNA database since European Court ruling

January 18, 2010 11:10 AM

Research by Liberal Democrats has revealed that 29,834 innocent people in Kent have been added to the National DNA Database since the European Court of Human Rights ruled in December 2008 that the practice was illegal.

Of the 143,434 profiles held 139,25 have been added since the European ruling 2, 896 of those are profiles of innocent people. Only 8 DNA profiles of innocent people have been removed since the ruling.

Commenting on this revelation Mark Barnard PPC for North Thanet said:

"It is appalling that the Government has taken the DNA of 29,834 innocent people since they were told the practice is illegal.

"Despite the Government's promises to abide by the European Court's ruling, they are still doing everything they can to avoid it.

"This means that the 29,834 Kent people have their most intimate personal information held by the police for six years - even though they have done nothing wrong.

"This practice means that the Government have eroded one of the fundamental principles of this country - that you are innocent until proven guilty. "