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Have you or your child been arrested and had your DNA and fingerprints taken by the police?
If so, you will probably have a computer record on Britain’s National DNA Database.
More than a million innocent people who have been arrested in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are thought to have their DNA and computer records retained.
The new Protection of Freedoms Act was adopted on 1st May 2012.
The Act requires innocent people’s DNA profiles and fingerprints to be deleted from police databases and all DNA samples to be destroyed. The records of children who have been convicted of only a single offence must also be removed after three years. The Government has also stated that new police guidance will be written to require the deletion of Police National Computer (PNC) records at the same time as as records on the National DNA database.
However, no deadline has yet been set for the deletion or records or the destruction of samples.
The new Act applies in England and Wales. A similar new law is planned for Northern Ireland but has not yet been adopted. The law in Scotland already requires innocent people’s records to be deleted.
What you can do
Now the Protection of Freedoms Act has been adopted, innocent people in England and Wales should write to the Chief Constable of the police force that arrested them and to their MP, asking when their information will be removed from police databases.
Visit the further action page for more information.
If you want to discuss this issue with others you can also visit this Facebook page (external link).
You can find out more about the issues using the menu on the right.
Even if you are not on the DNA database you can still take action.
You can make a difference
If you take action now you can make a difference to what happens to your DNA and help to ensure the new law is implemented as quickly as possible. The letters that people have written to MPs are one of the main reasons that the new Government changed the law.