From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Police to get new powers on DNA testing
By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor
Source
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000114832908976&rtmo=0xGisxNq&atmo=0xGisxNq&p
g=/et/01/1/20/ndna20.html
THE prospect of routine DNA screening of the entire population drew nearer
yesterday when the Government proposed to give the police the power to retain
indefinitely samples taken from innocent people.
Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, said he would "proceed cautiously and
proportionately" on extending the law further. But the measure would allow a
tripling of the existing database of one million samples.
The proposal forms the centrepiece of the Criminal Justice and Police Bill,
which also provides for a significant extension of police powers to control
the streets and seize property.
Officers will be able to issue fixed penalty notices for a long list of
misdemeanours, ranging from drunkenness to throwing fireworks and making hoax
999 calls. The level of the fines has still to be fixed, but could be between
£100 and £2,500.
Police will also be able to enforce curfews imposed on children up to the age
of 16, stop people drinking in designated public places, arrest suspected
kerb crawlers and close down unruly pubs. The Bill gives the police new
powers to seize documents and computer disks even if they contain privileged
legal information.
But the powers to retain DNA samples and fingerprints are the most
controversial elements of the Bill. For the first time, police would be able
to keep samples taken from volunteers, or from people later eliminated from
inquiries for possible future use. At the moment, the samples must be
destroyed if a suspect is not charged or not convicted.
The police called for additional powers after two cases in which convictions
were quashed because guilt was proved with DNA evidence that should have been
destroyed.
One was the case of Michael Weir, who was convicted of the murder of Leonard
Harris, 79, on the basis of blood samples taken during a drugs investigation
that was discontinued. As a result, his conviction was quashed by the Court
of Appeal, although the Law Lords said later that this was "contrary to good
sense".
Mr Straw said the new Bill would clarify the law in this area. He did not
regard it as any more of an infringement of civil liberties than the
widespread use of closed-circuit television cameras.
He said: "The public are more worried about the arrest and conviction of very
serious criminals and persistent offenders through the use of this kind of
evidence. They will widely welcome this change because it will greatly help
the police and it will cut lots of costs."
Asked why he had not gone the whole way and introduced automatic screening of
the population, Mr Straw said that the new measure was a "proportionate"
response. He said: "You have to move cautiously in this area. I am clear that
there is an overwhelming case for this change and there will be wide
acceptance for it."
The Home Office hopes to build the national DNA database from one million
samples to 3.5 million in the next three years. As well as retaining the
samples and fingerprints of all suspects, those taken from volunteers in mass
screenings will also be retained, provided they give written permission.
Ann Widdecombe, the shadow home secretary, said that the DNA and police
seizure powers had "serious civil liberties implications". But she predicted
that the legislation would run out of parliamentary time if an election were
held in May.
She said: "This is yet another example of Labour's obsession with spin. It is
little more than an attempt to grab headlines with spot fine and curfew
powers that will overburden police forces when they are already at breaking
point."
Simon Hughes, for the Liberal Democrats, said: "This is a typical mixture of
useful reform and gimmickry. We are still to be convinced that fixed penalty
notices will not turn into a bureaucratic mess."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i still think the easiest solution to people control would be for every new
born baby to have their personal details tatooed as a bar code on its
forehead.
Or perhaps they've thought of that already.
Kenneth Pantling
--
You have to understand that this amounts to DNA screening for everyone.
If the police can keep samples from anyone who has been arrested, then
it is a simple matter for a detective to phone Crimestoppers and turn
in a person with a made up story who they have no evidence to arrest
simply to get a DNA sample.
Steve.
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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